Great-tailed grackle
Scientific name: Quiscalus mexicanus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Overview
The great-tailed grackle or Mexican grackle is a medium-sized, highly social passerine bird native to North and South America. A member of the family Icteridae, it is one of 10 extant species of grackle and is closely related to the boat-tailed grackle and the extinct slender-billed grackle. In the southern and southwestern United States, the grackle is sometimes referred to simply as a "blackbird" or (erroneously) a "crow" due to its glossy black plumage; however, grackles form their own unique genus that is separate from other "blackbirds", such as the red-winged and Brewer's blackbirds, despite being in the same family (Icteridae). Superficially, Brewer's blackbird is one of the most visually similar species to grackles.
From the Wikipedia article “Great-tailed grackle”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Birth weight | 7.8 g |
| Adult weight (male) | 221.5 g |
| Adult weight (female) | 115.9 g |
Source: Wikidata, citing “AVIAN BODY SIZES IN RELATION TO FECUNDITY, MATING SYSTEM, DISPLAY BEHAVIOR, AND RESOURCE SHARING”, article by Terje Lislevand et al published June 2007 in Ecology.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Middle America; North America; Oceania; South America.
Common names
Names in other languages (9)
- Chinese
- 大尾拟八哥, 大尾鹩哥
- French
- Quiscale à longue queue
- German
- Dohlengrackel, Großschwanzgrackel
- Indonesian
- Grackle ekor-besar
- Japanese
- onagakuromukudorimodoki, オナガクロムクドリモドキ
- Persian
- سیاهپر دمبزرگ
- Portuguese
- iraúna-mexicana, rabo-de-quilha-mexicano
- Russian
- Большехвостый гракл, Большой вороний дрозд
- Spanish
- zanate, Zanate mexicano
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q1234856, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Great-tailed grackle”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Channel City Camera Club/Susan T. Cook, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026