Grackles, blackbirds, & crows!

It's that time of year. The number one complaint I am getting right now is grackles, blackbirds, and crows taking over the feeders. I want to gibe you some "fun" facts on the above birds and maybe you can find them at least a little more interesting. A few of you may even learn to embrace their presence...or not, and thats ok too. Tomorrow I will also try to offer some solutions to your blackbird problem and comfort you by saying that they will move on. It may be a few weeks or possible a few months but eventually they will move on.

Fun Facts About Grackles:
- Grackles have strong jaw muscles able to crack open chestnuts, beechnuts and acorns in the bill. They are also known to saw acorns and dried corn into smaller pieces using the sharp keel of a horny plate on the bill.
- Some grackles have shown the ability to learn figuring out if they follow robins, they will get chances to steal worms.
-Boat Tailed Grackles are a sign of the coast! They are exclusice to coastal areas (except in FL) and their call should be embraced as a reminder that we live just a short drive from the beautiful ocean.
-Boat Tailed Grackles are very promiscuous mate with several partners while the Common Grackles are monogamous.
-If a Boat Tailed Crackle fledgling falls into the water they can actually swim a short distance using their little wings as paddles. Thats kind of cute!

Common Grackle

Boat Tailed Grackle

Fun Facts About Crows
- During the winter, American Crows congregate at night in large communal roosts. These roosts range in size from a few hundred, several thousand, or even up to one million crows.
- The winter roosts of some American Crows have been located in the same area for well over 100 years.
- Just as a flock of quail is called a “covey,” a group of crows is called a “murder.”
- Since American Crows do not breed until they are between two to four years old, they often stay with their parents and help them raise the young of following years. Family groups may include over a dozen individuals from five different years.
- Birdwatchers know to listen for American Crows raising the alarm when predators are discovered. They vigorously mob owls and can tip off their location to alert birders for a closer look.
- Crows themselves are often mobbed by smaller birds, especially kingbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds.
- The loss of American Crows to the West Nile virus has been the highest of any North American bird species. They die within a week of exposure and very few appear to be able to survive once infected. 
- Shiny objects seem to fascinate crows. They have been known to fly off with bits of glass, rings, keys, and foil.
- Crows can imitate a large number of sounds including whistles, cats, machines and the human voice.
- The oldest known American Crow in the wild was recorded to be almost 15 years old.
- The Fish Crow, found all year-round in coastal areas of the southern and eastern United States, opens mollusks for eating by continuously dropping them on a hard surface to crack them apart.
- The best way to identify Fish Crows is by their short nasal calls car or cuh-cuh as opposed to the caw of the American Crow.

Fish Crow

American Crow

Fun Facts About Red-winged Blackbirds
- Red-wing Blackbirds will increase their feeding rate to match the other blackbirds around them, even if they are already well feed.
- Red-wing Blackbirds learn which new foods to try by carefully watching what the other blackbirds are eating.
- During the breeding season, Red-winged Blackbirds eat mostly insects, including dragonflies, damselflies, beetles, butterflies and moths. In the winter, they switch to mostly to seeds and grains.
- Male Red-winged Blackbirds defend their breeding territory with exaggerated displays of the bright red feathers in the epaulets on their wings. Studies have shown that males will loose their established territories to intruders when these epaulets are artificially darkened.
- Male Red-winged Blackbirds that are intruding into the territory of another male will keep their bright red epaulets covered as to avoid detection and conflict.
- During the nesting season, male Red-winged Blackbirds will spend up to 75% of their day time guarding their territory and only 25% is spent foraging, preening and resting.
- Red-winged Blackbirds are one of the most polygamous of all bird species. They have been observed to have as many as 15 females nesting in the territory of a single male. On average, a single male has roughly five females in its territory.
- Male Red-winged Blackbirds hold on to their territories for an average of about 2 ½ years. However, one male was known to have occupied the same territory for at least 11 consecutive years.
- Red-winged Blackbirds typically raise only one brood per year, second nesting attempts do occur but are uncommon.
- Female Red-winged Blackbirds build their nest in four stages. Initially they weave together several supporting pieces of vegetation and then intertwine the walls of the nest onto these supports. The nest cup is then lined with mud and the final step is to line the nest with a layer of fine grasses.
- Predators take a heavy toll on Red-winged Blackbird nests. Studies have shown that up to 41% of all eggs and nestlings are lost to predators. Major predators include raccoon, mink, magpie, and Marsh Wrens.
- Red-winged Blackbirds can form huge roosts during the winter. Up to a million birds will stay in one area at night. During the daytime, they will disperse up to 50 miles away in search of food.
- Red-winged Blackbirds commonly share their winter roosts with other blackbird species, Common Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbirds and European Starlings.
- Large flocks of Red-winged and other Blackbirds can cause wide-scale damage to sunflower, corn and rice crops. I am sure you never would have guessed that! The control measures used to reduce this crop damage are now the major source of adult mortality in Red-winged Blackbirds.

Hope you found these fun facts a little interesting. Stay tuned for a post with some solutions on how to beat these somewhat pesky birds and enjoy a better variety of songbirds at your feeder!

Thanks!

Danielle Motley
Owner

Wild Birds Unlimited
624 Coleman Blvd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464

P:(843)216-8800
E: wbumtpleasant@yahoo.com

Visit us on the web at www.wbu.com/mtpleasant or "like" us on Facebook!

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