Quiscalus quiscula
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) is an icterid bird found in large numbers through much of North America. It was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus and has three officially recognized subspecies. Adult common grackles have a long and dark bill, pale yellow eyes, and a long tail. Adults often have a bluish iridescent appearance on their head, this feature being more pronounced on males. Common grackles can be found widely across North America east of the Rocky Mountains and are highly adaptable to their environment.
The common grackle was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of Systema Naturae, as Gracula quiscula. It was assigned to the genus Quiscalus by French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in his 1816 Dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle.
Three subspecies are recognized: Common grackles... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Voyageurs National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 14 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 17 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 18 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 20 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Cape May County Park & Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | National Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Wild Bird Fund | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Grackle sighting in Banff National Park on a given day, based on 102 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 94th most-seen of the 191 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Grackle in Banff National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to April, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Grackle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
17th of 21
Of the 21 parks where we can rate Common Grackle sightings, Banff National Park ranks 17th at under 5%. The best odds are in Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 80%), Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 50%) and Badlands National Park (United States, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Icteridae
The closest relatives of the Common Grackle that you can see in Banff National Park (family Icteridae, New World Blackbirds and Orioles) are Red-winged Blackbird (about 30%) and Brown-headed Cowbird (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Grackle is recorded against all the birds logged in Banff National Park (102 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
