Quiscalus major
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The boat-tailed grackle (Quiscalus major) is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found as a permanent resident on the coasts of the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. The boat-tailed grackle is found in coastal saltwater marshes and across the Florida peninsula. In salt marsh areas, least bitterns will often associate with and make mixed colonies with grackles. Boat-tailed grackles have established significant populations in several United States Gulf Coast cities and towns, using human activity as protection against predation and scavenging through human trash. Urban boat-tailed grackle populations can be found foraging in trash bins, parking lots, and outdoor restaurant patios.
The nest is a well-concealed cup in trees and shrubs near water; the average clutch size is just over three eggs. Male boat-tailed grackles compete to defend and mate with a harem of closely nesting females, although DNA evidence shows that females often successfully mate with other males while away from their colony, with only about a quarter of the young being fathered by the dominant male.
The male boat-tailed grackle is 37–43 cm (15–17 in) long... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brevard Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Boat-tailed Grackle sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 9,795 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 279 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Boat-tailed Grackle in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against about 50% in August and October, the lowest months. That is one of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's wettest months, with about 180 mm of rain against 50 mm in March.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Boat-tailed 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.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Boat-tailed Grackle sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Everglades National Park (United States, about 40%) and Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Boat-tailed Grackle is recorded against all the birds logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (9,795 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.
