Species: Common Grackle Photographer: Charles Tysinger
Date: 20 June 2008 Location: Nags Head, NC

Publication of the first two photos provoked some discussion about the identification. The bill seems large for a grackle. The blackish plumage suggests an adult, while for a grackle the dark eye could only mean a juvenile. The only size reference in the photos is blades of grass which somewhat suggest that the bird might be small for a grackle, which was Charles's impression. However this is difficult to judge.

Additional photos further support the parsimonious identification of Common Grackle, mainly by showing that the plumage is actually browner than it first appeared. The tail is probably not quite completely grown, contributing to a smaller size appearance. The tail does appear to be at least slightly graduated.

Common Grackles really do have very large bills. For comparison, here are a couple of photos of adults in which the bill appears very large: adult 1 adult 2.

And here are several photos of juveniles, showing the brownish plumage and dark eye: juvenile 1 juvenile 2 juvenile 3 juvenile 4 juvenile 5 Photos of juveniles in Kaufmann's field guide, or the new Smithsonian Field Guide are very similar to this bird.

Comparisons with other species: The tail is a little too short for Boat-tailed Grackle, too long for most other species such as Rusty or Brewer's Blackbird, or Brown-headed or Shiny Cowbirds, all of which also have slimmer or shorter bills. Bronzed Cowbird has a heavy but shorter bill, and the likelihood of a juvenile so far from the normal range is remote.