As spring swells and shakes off the cold grip of winter, early migrants such as the Common Grackle become more�well, common. This bird can be found striding around backyards or gardens carefully searching for grubs and insects in the grass. Grackles belong to a family of birds called Icterids (or New World blackbirds) which include other more brightly-colored members like Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, and Baltimore Orioles. While their colors are less conspicuous, in the right lighting you can see a grackle�s brilliant green, purple, and blue iridescent feathers. While its name suggests the mundane, a Common Grackles� plumage, at the right angle, is certainly anything but!
Backyard Bird of the Month is a feature by Maine Audubon created for the Maine Home Garden News, the newsletter of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard. Photo by Doug Hitchcox.
