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Grackles The common grackle appears black, but when the sun hits it, a brilliant iridescent bluish purple can be seen. Many folks confuse this bird with the much larger American crow. Although crows are common, they aren't nearly as common as the grackles. And crows are more wary of people and rarely ravage our bird feeders the way some grackles do. The common grackle is with us more than half the year and can be seen chowing at our feeders anytime between March and October. But like many migrating birds, grackles flock up in the fall and can move like waves through our yards and neighborhoods. It should also be noted they eat huge amounts of harmful insects. Tons of beetles and insect larva that eat our fancy plants are eaten by the omnivorous grackles. A Grackle is a gregarious, passerine bird native to North and South America. Each of the 11 species of grackle belong to the Icterid family. The species are:
Quiscalus grackles are known for being capable of imitating human speech, even better than parrots.
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Starling In most animal species with two eyes, and in humans, eyesight is identical in both eyes in healthy subjects. However, there are some species of animals where this is not always the case. European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), for example, have truly amazing eyes. The starling is a bird that is often seen as more of a pest than anything else, so not many people would think there was much of anything at all special about this bird. However, a few years ago a team of researchers in Australia led by biologist Nathan Hart discovered that the cellular composition of the Starling’s two eyes differ. The study found that in it’s left eye, the Starling has more single cones (photosensitive cells that respond to color). In it’s right eye, however, double cones (cells detecting movement) were found to predominate. What does that mean in plain English? Well that the Starling’s two eyes serve different functions; the left eye would be used to distinguish color, and the right to watch for movement. Interestingly many birds, including Starlings, tend to tilt their head and look at certain objects with either one eye or the other indicating whether they are looking out for movement (danger), or color (food, a mate, etc.). |
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Ravens Ravens are large black birds, with a blue-purple iridescence to their feathers. They are approximately 24-27 inches long at maturity, and their wingspan doubles that. The beak and feet are black, and the iris of the eye is brown. Young birds are less glossy than adults, but they lose the dullness when they reach maturity. Although they are frequently confused with crows, ravens differ in many ways. A raven's beak is larger and heavier than a crow's beak. Their throat feathers are more pointed and elongated, giving them a 'spiky' appearance when they fluff up. Crows' throat feathers, on the other hand, are rounded, like a semicircular fan. Most noticeably, their caw is much deeper than the crow's call, and much throatier. Also, a raven's call is more varied than the repetitive cawing of a crow. |
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Crows Crows are large, black, perching birds with robust beaks and a fan-shaped tail. Populations of crows have been increasing due to their ability to adapt to human behavior, high reproductive potential and opportunistic feeding habits. The average life span of a crow is 7-8 years. Crows are partially migratory. They can make rather long daily movements, up to 50 miles are common, but do not need to migrate for long distances. Protocol for Dead Birds Dead birds, particularly crows, have been important indicators of the presence of West Nile virus in a given area. |
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Seagulls Gulls are ground nesting carnivores, which will take live food or scavenge opportunistically. The live food often includes crabs, and small fish. Behavior: Gulls are resourceful and highly-intelligent birds, demonstrating complex methods of communication and a highly-developed social structure. ortant indicators of the presence of West Nile virus in a given area. |
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