Quiscalus niger
The Greater Antillean Grackle (Quiscalus niger) is a striking passerine endemic to the Caribbean, instantly recognizable by its sleek, iridescent black plumage that shimmers with purple, blue, and green hues under direct sunlight. Males are notably larger, measuring approximately 27-32 cm (10.5-12.5 in) in length with a wingspan of up to 45 cm (17.7 in) and weighing 70-100g, while females are slightly smaller and often less iridescent. Both sexes share piercing yellow eyes, a long, keeled tai...
Highly adaptable, this species thrives in a wide array of open to semi-open environments, including urban parks, agricultural lands, pastures, mangroves, coastal areas, and open woodlands, typically from sea level up to moderate elevations.
An opportunistic omnivore, its diet primarily consists of insects (grasshoppers, beetles, ants), spiders, seeds, grains, fruits, small vertebrates (lizards, frogs), eggs and nestlings of other birds, and a significant amount of human-provided food scraps. They forage primarily by walking or hoppi...
Greater Antillean Grackles are highly social birds, often seen foraging in noisy flocks and roosting communally, sometimes in large numbers. Their foraging strategies are diverse and opportunistic; they meticulously glean insects from the ground, probe for invertebrates in soft soil, catch insect...
The Greater Antillean Grackle is a resident species found exclusively across the islands of the Greater Antilles. Its primary distribution includes Cuba, Hispaniola (encompassing both Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Cayman Islands. This species is non-migratory th...
Least Concern
- Greater Antillean Grackles are known for their intelligence and problem-solving abilities, often observed figuring out how to access food in challenging situations. - They are one of the few bird species known to use tools, occasionally employing small sticks to probe for insects. - Their iride...