Great-tailed grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

The Great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) is a bird found in United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize and Panama. Cities, farms and marshes from the US to South America. It eats insects and other small invertebrates and seeds and nuts. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Quiscalus mexicanus
Region	North America
Found in	United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize and Panama

🏡 Where the Great-tailed grackle lives

Cities, farms and marshes from the US to South America.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs80%
🌰 Seeds & nuts20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 Males have super-long tails and make whistles, clicks and squeaks.

Hear the Great-tailed grackle

Recorded by Gean Carlo Valdés (CC0), xeno-canto XC1031262. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Great-tailed grackle

Where does the Great-tailed grackle live?

The Great-tailed grackle lives in United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize and Panama. Cities, farms and marshes from the US to South America.

What does the Great-tailed grackle eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 80%), seeds and nuts (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Great-tailed grackle endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from North America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.