Birds of a Feather . . . by Elaine A. Powers, Author

I am a musician and actor and I perform with choruses in my hometown, which is likely related to why my science books are written in rhyme (so the science is fun), and to my appreciation for birds with varied calls.

Every morning when I go to visit my horses at the stables, I am greeted by the loud, mixed calls of a male Great-tailed Grackle. I’ve always enjoyed listening to birds with diverse calls, like mockingbirds and grackles. In Florida, when I was in school, I delighted at the extemporaneous tunes of a mockingbird outside my dorm room window. Unfortunately, he had his days and nights mixed up, so his calls were more like lullabies, but that’s okay. Other mockingbirds filled the void during the daylight hours. But that’s another story.

This post is about the Great-tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus.

The Great-tailed Grackle is named for its obvious feature, a very large tail. Grackles didn’t reach Arizona until 1936, coming north from Mexico, announcing their arrival with their cacophonous calls. These birds are continuing to expand their range northward.

The male is a striking, iridescent-purple-blue that looks black. The yellow eyes are clearly seen. The female grackle is smaller with a brown body. These birds live in social groups in open or semi-open habitat, sharing the land with people. They are omnivores, consuming both plant and animal matter. They prefer to nest near water, so I’m not sure what water source they are using at the stables…maybe the horses’ water troughs. The females are the only parent to feed the young. That frees up the male to sing to me.

Book Note: My love of birds has overflowed into books I’ve written. Don’t Make Me Fly is written in rhyme, so the Roadrunner science is fun and easy to remember; How NOT to Photograph a Hummingbird is a humorous story about the dangers of the Sonoran Desert–but it has a flora and fauna glossary in the back of the book; and Fly Back to the Brac Brian Brown Booby is based on a true story about a young Brown Booby bird who was somehow separated from his family and needed help to learn how to fly.

They are educational and supplement your child’s education in fun ways. Check them out today!