Common grackle

Common grackle photographed in Manitoba

Grackles are some of the first blackbirds to return in spring, arriving in noisy flocks in March and April. In the right light, a common grackle is anything but plain black, with purple, bronze, and green iridescence across the head and body, and a pale yellow eye that gives it a fierce look.

They walk with a confident strut across lawns and fields, feeding on insects, seeds, and waste grain, and they nest in loose colonies in conifers and dense shrubs. In flight the long tail is shaped like a keel. In fall, grackles gather in huge flocks before heading south, and a few stay in southern Manitoba through mild winters.

The oil-slick sheen of a common grackle, purple and bronze in the sun, plus its pale yellow eye, is hard to beat.

To learn more about this bird and its habitat, visit the common grackle page at All About Birds.

Field notes in photographs

  • Common grackle perched on a weathered post with iridescent black plumage
  • Common grackle perched in a snow-covered crabapple tree with red fruit, Manitoba

Common grackle Manitoba sightings

Where and when you can find the common grackle in Manitoba depends on the season and the habitat. You can see more species in the Manitoba birds section.

Map of Manitoba showing where the common grackle nests, with major cities and lakes
Where to look for the common grackle in Manitoba through the seasons: nesting in the Boreal Shield, the Boreal Plains, and the Prairies (gold). Habitat regions: National Ecological Framework for Canada. Boundaries: Statistics Canada. Lakes: Natural Earth.

Back to Manitoba bird photography, or see the portfolio.

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