Quiscalus mexicanus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
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). The great-tailed grackle was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the crows in the genus Corvus and coined the... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 5 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 6 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Managua | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 9 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 10 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ecological Center of Sonora | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Parque Zoológico de León - Zooleón | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zoológico Los Coyotes | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Aviario Nacional de Colombia | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 6 | Dallas World Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Fish Spa Acuario Fantasia | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Great-tailed Grackle sighting in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 2,083 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 288 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and August
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Great-tailed Grackle in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against about 70% in September and October, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great-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.
Among the best
Of the 68 parks where we can rate Great-tailed Grackle sightings, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve ranks 3rd at about 80%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park (Mexico, about 80%) and Las Baulas Marine National Park (Costa Rica, about 80%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Icteridae
The closest relatives of the Great-tailed Grackle that you can see in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (family Icteridae, New World Blackbirds and Orioles) are Melodious Blackbird (about 60%), Hooded Oriole (about 50%) and Altamira Oriole (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Great-tailed Grackle is recorded against all the birds logged in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (2,083 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.
