# Greater Antillean Grackle

Scientific name: Quiscalus niger

Bird group: [icterids](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/icterids)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/280/Greater-Antillean-Grackle

## Identification

The Greater Antillean grackle (Quiscalus niger) is a grackle found throughout the Greater Antilles as well as smaller, nearby islands. Like all Quiscalus grackles, it is a rather large, gregarious bird. It lives largely in heavily settled areas. It is also known as the 'kling-kling' and 'chinchilín' in the Dominican Republic, and as a ‘chango’ in Puerto Rico.
The 27 cm (11 in)-long male is glossy black with a large rudder-like tail; the 24 cm (9.4 in)-long female has a smaller tail and is similar in color, but less glossy than the male. The eye is yellow and is the only non-black body part.
The Greater Antillean grackle is a generalist eater; it eats fruits, bread, plant matter, and both small vertebrates and invertebrates alike.


## Distribution and habitat

The Greater Antillean Grackle occurs in the Greater Antillean 
islands of Cuba, Jamaica, 
Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico 
(Jaramillo and Burke 1999, 
Raffaele and others 1998). It 
is a very common resident in 
Puerto Rico, including Vieques 
(Gemmill 2015) and Culebra. The 
Greater Antillean Grackle occurs 
mostly in lowlands and open 
areas including mangrove forest 
edges, pastures (Raffaele and 
others 1998), farms, and towns, 
but it avoids deep forests (Oberle 
2018). The atlas fieldwork 
yielded a total of 955 records 
within 394 hexagons or 82 percent of the 479 total hexagons 
(see map). Of the 394 hexagons 
where this species was found, 
breeding met the atlas definition 
of confirmed in 66 percent (261) 
of the hexagons, probable in 
21 percent (81), and possible in 
13 percent (52) (see map). Greater Antillean Grackle distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life 
zones in Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.

## Breeding

This species builds a nest made of grass and sticks (Oberle 
2018), and breeds from February 
to September, with most 
breeding activity from April to 
August, according to previously 
published reports (Raffaele 
and others 1998). However, 
atlas results indicate that this       271Greater Antillean Grackle/Mozambiquespecies breeding season extends throughout the year, but it is 
most active from March to June 
(see chart). Results show that the 
Greater Antillean Grackle breeds 
within all ecological life zones 
but mostly within the subtropical 
moist forest life zone (64 percent 
of the hexagons) (see table 
and map).

## Conservation

The Greater Antillean Grackle has a stable population within 
its distribution range, and it 
is listed as a species of least 
concern by the IUCN (BirdLife 
International 2018). Locally, this 
species is very common and 
not listed under any threatened 
categories of PRDNER or USFWS. 
In Puerto Rico, the Greater Antillean Grackle has a protected 
habitat in land of 11 percent 
or 1078 km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons where 
evidence of breeding was found 
for this species (9398 km2). Note this area is larger than the 
total terrestrial area of the island 
because coastal hexagons and 
those hexagons covering small 
cays include a portion of water. 

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_280_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_280_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.