Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 8, 2026

Grackle

Grackles is the common name of any of 11 species of passerine birds native to North and South America. They belong to various genera in the icterid family. In all the species with this name, adult males have black or mostly black plumage. Baby birds use a screech-like call to indicate they wish to feed.Genus Quiscalus Boat-tailed grackle, Quiscalus major Common grackle, Quiscalus quiscula Great-tailed grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus Nicaraguan grackle, Quiscalus nicaraguensis Greater Antillean grackle, Quiscalus niger Carib grackle, Quiscalus lugubris Slender-billed grackle, Quiscalus palustris: extinct (1910) Genus Hypopyrrhus Red-bellied grackle, Hypopyrrhus pyrohypogaster Genus Lampropsar Velvet-fronted grackle, Lampropsar tanagrinus Genus Macroagelaius Golden-tufted grackle, Macroagelaius imthurni Colombian mountain grackle, Macroagelaius subalaris

Last revised
Jun 8, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
160 w
Citations
Source
Common grackle source ↗
Great-tailed grackle source ↗
Red-bellied grackle source ↗

Grackles is the common name of any of 11 species of passerine birds (10 extant and one extinct) native to North and South America. They belong to various genera in the icterid family. In all the species with this name, adult males have black or mostly black plumage. Baby birds use a screech-like call to indicate they wish to feed.

Sometimes members of the starling family have historically been called grackles. Tristram's starling is sometimes known as "Tristram's grackle", and the hill mynas in the genus Gracula have also been called grackles.