Boat-tailed Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle has fallen sharply: down 53% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Boat-tailed Grackle
The Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) is a North American member of the Blackbirds & Orioles (Icteridae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 6.5–17 in long (16–43 cm) — a small to medium songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 236 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 13 states, most concentrated in the Southeastern Coastal Plain.
- Family
- Icteridae · Wetland birds
Notable Boat-tailed Grackle Trends
Boat-tailed Grackle has fallen sharply in surveyed states: down 53% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Boat-tailed Grackle Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Boat-tailed Grackle is projected to rise about 30% by 2029 — from 0.53 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.69 (95% range 0.10–1.3). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±65.3%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.71 | 0.12 | 1.3 |
| 2026 | 0.71 | 0.11 | 1.3 |
| 2027 | 0.70 | 0.11 | 1.3 |
| 2028 | 0.70 | 0.10 | 1.3 |
| 2029 | 0.69 | 0.10 | 1.3 |
Where the Boat-tailed Grackle Is Detected
BBS routes recording Boat-tailed Grackle, sized by most recent count.
Boat-tailed Grackle Population Trend by State
| Alabama | -54% | 1968 | 10 |
| Delaware | +14% | 1968 | 9 |
| Florida | -42% | 1968 | 104 |
| Georgia | -93% | 1969 | 15 |
| Louisiana | +58% | 1969 | 40 |
| Maryland | -65% | 1969 | 4 |
| Mississippi | -10% | 2003 | 3 |
| New Jersey | +25% | 1981 | 4 |
| New York | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| North Carolina | +21% | 1969 | 19 |
| South Carolina | -62% | 1968 | 6 |
| Texas | -50% | 1971 | 14 |
| Virginia | -64% | 1980 | 7 |
Boat-tailed Grackle Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | -73% | 1976 | 13 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -35% | 1968 | 85 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | -5% | 1968 | 23 |
| Peninsular Florida | -49% | 1968 | 76 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | +22% | 1969 | 35 |
Boat-tailed Grackle Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 52% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.