Photo: Common Grackles
Deidra Bryant
Earlier this week I took a few days off and traveled to Southern Tennessee. As most families do when they travel long distances, we stopped at a rest stop off the side of the highway to stretch our legs and enjoy the warmth and sunlight after the persistent rain and heavy traffic. Upon opening the passenger door, I heard what sounded like creaky swing sets. I looked up at the sky and saw a flock of grackles darting across the parking lot from tree to tree! It seemed like the spring migrants reached their breeding grounds because courtship, foraging and nest construction were taking place. To be honest I got excited when I saw them since I don't see them at all where I live, and I really enjoy the sound they make.
The Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) is an opportunistic omnivore. Much like your common Rock Pigeon, they are known to take advantage of leftover food that humans leave behind, in addition to bugs, berries and seeds that are present nearby. They will even wade in water to catch small fish, and have been observed picking leeches off Northern Map Turtles while they are basking. Their ability to thrive in woodland areas, meadows, marshes, forest edges, and near human establishments makes them quite gritty in my opinion. Additionally, the glistening iridescent feathers on male grackles as they puff themselves in the light, and the contrast in color with their bright eyes and their dark feathers makes them mesmerizing.
Common Grackles
Although they are fun to watch, it's unfortunate that they're considered agricultural pests among farmers since flocks will ravage crops, and can be heavy nest predators. It's even more distressing to know that people find them to be so annoying that they'll acquire permits to kill them. For example, in southern states like Texas, oral toxicants (DRC-1339) are used by USDA-AHIS certified applicators that cause renal failure in grackles. Lawn-treatment chemicals used in suburban and urban areas are also responsible for deaths due to bioaccumulation of chemicals through insects that ingest affected plant matter. Fortunately, there are other methods used to manage populations including habitat modification to disperse roosts, propane cannons and pyrotechnics in citrus groves and sunflower fields to scare them off, and spraying non-toxic chemical repellents (methyl anthranilate) on plant material and in the air that cause temporary discomfort by stimulating the trigeminal nerves in their beaks, eyes and throat.
Although Common Grackles are boisterous and sometimes overwhelming, can we at least show some concern for them? Surely, we wouldn't want to cause a collapse in bird populations because our interests conflict with theirs. Yes, they are invasive, but there are ways to prevent them from invading your property. One way is to shorten or remove feeder perches so that only smaller birds will be able to feed from them. You can also install bird spikes on your roof, or hang them off ledges since they tend to roost in large numbers. There are also ornamental reflective "scare rods" on Amazon that use several different angles of reflection points to keep them at bay or confuse them. A few other tips would be to clean your yard on a regular basis, place chicken wire or mesh around your fruits and veggies in your gardens, secure your trash and pick up any pet food/treats that might be lying around. Overall, reducing access to food and removing places where they can perch eliminates their incentive to visit.
Human-wildlife conflicts are inevitable, but there are many humane practices that allow both parties to coexist peacefully, and scientists are actively researching more cost-effective ways to keep it that way. So, if you happen to find a grackle perusing through a garbage can, understand that we built on their home and appreciate their determination to survive amidst a rapidly changing environment.