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It’s that time of year — when hordes of noisy grackles show up everywhere. Sometimes frightening, sometimes fascinating, there’s more to grackles than most people know.
The great-tailed grackle — the bird many love to hate — is native to Central America and has expanded across a large swath of the United States.
In the fall and winter, grackles gather in huge numbers in suburban trees at night, and during the day look for bugs, French Fries or any tasty morsel. They’re not too picky.
They flock together in massive communal roosts, and their numbers can be impressive.
Patsy Inglet is with the local chapter of the Audubon Society in South Central Texas.
Inglet doesn’t have much bad to say about the great-tailed grackle.
“They are native to North America, and they’ve been in Texas for a long time, but they have their place in nature, just like everything else. And, you know, they eat all kinds of things. They’re not bad — they’re just a lot of them,” she said.
Most people think great-tailed grackles migrate from somewhere else, but the truth is they’re here year-round.
During breeding season, great-tailed grackles split into smaller groups, typically with one male and several females.
After breeding season ends in the fall, they regroup and roost together.
Dan Katz
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Texas Public Radio
But beyond redecorating people’s cars or stealing a tortilla chip from your table on the River Walk, the birds can be a real nuisance.
At San Antonio International Airport, grackles can pose a hazard to aircraft during takeoff and landing.
Wildlife biologist Marcus Machemehl’s job is to keep wildlife away.
Sometimes, he uses pyrotechnics — including what’s known as a “bird banger,” which makes a loud pop followed by a whizzing sound that scares birds away.
He says the most effective strategy has been limiting the number of trees on airport property.
“Any trees that we have in our landscaping, we trim twice a year to open up the canopy, prevent roosting behavior, and make them not want to stay here,” he told TPR.
They also trim existing trees to make them unattractive as bird roosts.
Centro San Antonio is a nonprofit organization tasked with keeping downtown San Antonio clean — including chasing away and cleaning up after grackles.
Mike Pacheco is the general manager. He says they’ve tried several things over the years to scare the birds and move them from downtown trees — including wooden clappers and bullhorns — but have settled on two main tools.
“We use a green laser light and a large wooden Mexican matraca. It’s a noisemaker.”
Pacheco demonstrated the matraca in his office. It produces a loud clacking sound. He says they believe grackles mistake the noise for a red-tailed hawk — a natural predator.
Courtesy photo
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Mike Pacheco
Pacheco says that between equipment and staffing, Centro San Antonio spends between $150,000 and $200,000 a year attempting to mitigate the birds.
Carolina Hinojosa is co-director of the Urban Bird Project. She speaks about the bird with reverence and emphasizes its social importance.
She notes that Aztec emperor Ahuitzotl — who reigned from 1486 to 1502 — introduced the bird to Mexico City.
“He was enamored with the plumage — the iridescence of the feathers on the great-tailed grackle,” Hinojosa said.
Jerry Clayton
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Texas Public Radio
Fast forward to today, when the great-tailed grackle has expanded its range by an estimated 5,500 percent, from ancient cities to modern H-E-B parking lots.
“While they can be a nuisance, I think how they choose to live in community can teach us a lot about ourselves — about how we move and shape-shift in life,” Hinojosa said.
The National Audubon Society once described the great-tailed grackle as the “patron bird of anarchists and poets.”
It’s a fitting description for a bird with royal origins and a famously feisty streak.
Great Job Jerry Clayton & the Team @ Texas Public Radio for sharing this story.
