Boat-tailed Grackle look-alikes

Key differences

Common Grackles have a shorter, less keeled tail, especially noticeable in flight. Their iridescence is typically more purple-blue on the head and bronze on the body, whereas Boat-tailed Grackles are more uniformly iridescent black. Common Grackles have dark eyes in the western part of their range and pale eyes in the eastern part, but their overall body shape and tail structure differ. Common Grackles are also found further inland and in more northern latitudes.

Key differences

Great-tailed Grackles are very similar in appearance, especially males, with a long, keeled tail and iridescent black plumage. However, Great-tailed Grackles are generally larger, and their range is primarily in the southwestern US, Mexico, and Central America, though their range is expanding eastward and northward, leading to overlap. The female Great-tailed Grackle is typically darker brown than the female Boat-tailed Grackle, often appearing almost black. The calls also differ, with Great-tailed Grackles having a wider variety of harsher, more metallic sounds.

Key differences

Brewer's Blackbirds are smaller than Boat-tailed Grackles and have a shorter, square-tipped tail. Males are glossy black with purple iridescence on the head and green on the body, but lack the dramatic tail. Females are duller gray-brown. Their range is primarily western North America.