Ask a Grackle: Where Did Grackles Live Before There Were Urban Areas?

Dear Grackle,

I’ve always wondered… Where did grackles live before there were urban areas (cities)? I’ve never seen/heard a grackle in the country. Hope you can help?

Thanks,
Jeff

Dear Jeff,

It may seem like great-tailed grackles such as myself may have always been a part of Texas cities, but there was a time when we were exclusively country birds, hailing from the lowlands of Central and South America. Our journey to your local parking lot was shaped by human history. As I love to brag about, the Aztec Emperor Ahuizotl brought us from our lowland homes to the highland city of Tenochtitlan because he loved our iridescent feathers. we soon adapted to the highlands, and much like pigeons, we also grew accustomed to the cushy city life — having humans around meant more food and fewer natural predators. Between 1880 and 2000, our range expanded by more than 5,000 percent! We’re not the only iconic Texas species to have migrated north from Mexico — the nine-banded armadillo, for instance, entered Texas from Mexico a little more than a century ago. Great-tailed grackles and armadillos are great examples of how nature might seem static, but it’s changing all around you, all the time. Who knows what species will call Texas home in another 100 years!

Yours,  
Grackle

Have a question for the grackle? Email us at magazine@tpwd.texas.gov and we will pass it along to our avian adviser. The grackle's opinions are its own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.