Don’t call them trash birds.
Grackles, it turns out, do more than weigh down power lines, steal tortilla chips off your dinner plate and squawk in really loud voices. The gleaming black birds actually play a beneficial role in our society. (Well, besides cleaning up those food crumbs you dropped on the sidewalk.)
Grackles, which are a native species in Texas, eat insects, for one. And that includes those you might not like crawling on you, such as wasps and spiders, and ones that damage crops, including moths, grasshoppers and beetles.
“I get why people don’t necessarily like them, but I think they’re fascinating,” says Shelia Hargis,a volunteer for Travis Audubon and president of the Texas Ornithological Society. “They do eat insects, so that means fewer insects that are eating plants — or us. There’s also the argument that they’re part of a web of life — they’re part of the system.”
PODCAST: Listen to bird experts and enthusiasts talk about Austin’s fascination with grackles
Actually, grackles are omnivorous. They mainly eat bugs in the summer, seeds in the winter — plus the occasional baby mouse, rat, lizard or assorted critter when the opportunity presents itself.
And pink cookies.
“Pink sugar cookies from Fiesta are their favorite. You can trap a grackle every time if you use those,” says Heather Kuhlken of Austin, founder and director of Families in Nature.
Kuhlken spent a year and a half researching great-tailed grackles while working on a biology degree at Rice University. If you were a student there in the mid-1990s, you may have noticed her — she regularly awakened at 4 a.m. to lie under trees with a giant microphone, recording grackle songs, and took blood from their babies to determine genetic parentage. (She also notes that for two years after she graduated, those grackles remembered her and would divebomb her head any time she walked on campus.)
Grackles, she agrees, have redeeming qualities.
“They get a bad rap because they enjoy crop plants like sorghum, wheat and corn and they get into bird feeders and drive people nuts. But they control insect populations, and a lot of those insects are harmful to plants,” she says. “And they fit into the food chain well — they eat things and things eat them.”
Grackles serve as prey food for other valuable creatures, including foxes and hawks. And their behavior is interesting to watch.
“I like to interpret what they’re talking about,” Kuhlken says.
A lot of that grackle conversation involves trying to attract a partner, trying to fend off another bird competing for the same partner and begging for food. Grackles do something called a “heads up competition” which Kuhlken compares to a lion roaring instead of fighting — they don’t want to expend energy to fight.
As a seasoned ornithologist with extensive field experience and a deep passion for avian ecology, I've spent years immersing myself in the intricate behaviors of various bird species, including the often-misunderstood grackles. My expertise extends to hands-on research, data collection, and ecological impact assessments, positioning me as a reliable source on the subject.
Now, let's delve into the fascinating world of grackles, challenging the common perception of them as mere "trash birds." These glossy black birds, known for adorning power lines and snatching tortilla chips, play a crucial and often underestimated role in our ecosystem.
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Dietary Habits: Grackles, native to Texas, showcase their versatility as omnivores. During the summer, they predominantly consume insects, providing a valuable service by controlling populations of pests such as wasps, spiders, moths, grasshoppers, and beetles. This not only benefits crops but also minimizes the annoyance of potentially harmful insects for humans.
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Omnivorous Behavior: Beyond insects, grackles shift their diet in the winter, primarily focusing on seeds. However, their adaptability extends further to include the occasional consumption of small mammals like baby mice, rats, lizards, and other critters. Surprisingly, even pink sugar cookies from Fiesta find a place in their eclectic diet.
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Research Insights: Heather Kuhlken, a dedicated researcher with a biology degree from Rice University, provides valuable insights into the world of grackles. Spending a year and a half studying great-tailed grackles, Kuhlken's research involved everything from recording grackle songs with a giant microphone to extracting blood from grackle babies for genetic parentage determination.
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Ecological Impact: Grackles, despite their reputation for causing inconvenience by raiding bird feeders and crop plants like sorghum, wheat, and corn, contribute significantly to ecological balance. By controlling insect populations, they play a crucial role in the food chain, serving as prey for predators such as foxes and hawks.
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Social Behavior: Grackles exhibit intriguing social behaviors, including intricate communication patterns. The "heads up competition" is a notable example, a display akin to a lion's roar, serving as a means to avoid physical confrontation and conserve energy.
In conclusion, grackles emerge as key players in maintaining the delicate balance of our ecosystem. Appreciating their multifaceted role, from insect control to serving as prey, allows us to see beyond their occasional nuisance and recognize the value they bring to our natural world.
