Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyIcteridae (Ictèrids)
- GenusQuiscalus (Typical Grackles)
- SpeciesQuiscalus mexicanus (Great-tailed Grackle)
The great-tailed grackle or Mexican grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) 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. In some parts of Mexico, the grackle is sometimes referred to in Spanish as cuervo ("raven"; "crow"), although it is not a member of the crow genus (Corvus) nor of their family (Corvidae). Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Galápagos Islands
Yellow Warbler
Setophaga petechia
Small Ground-Finch
Geospiza fuliginosa
Galápagos Mockingbird
Mimus parvulus
Medium Ground-Finch
Geospiza fortis
Galápagos Flycatcher
Myiarchus magnirostris
Small Tree-Finch
Camarhynchus parvulus
Common Cactus-Finch
Geospiza scandens
Large Ground-Finch
Geospiza magnirostris
Grey Warbler-Finch
Certhidea fusca
Woodpecker Finch
Camarhynchus pallidus
Green Warbler-Finch
Certhidea olivacea
San Cristobal Mockingbird
Mimus melanotis
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Great-tailed Grackle at Galápagos Islands — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there