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Male. Photo by zweiblumen
Quepos, Costa Rica

Quiscalus mexicanus

[edit] Identification

[edit] Similar Species

On Gulf Coast, can be distinguished from Boat-tailed Grackle by eye color.

[edit] Distribution

In the United States found from southern California east to Iowa south to Louisiana. Also found throughout Central America south to Peru.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

Female. Photo by Gary Clark
Patagonia Lake, Arizona, USA

Polytypic. Consists of eight subspecies:

• Q. m. nelsoni:

• South-eastern California to southern Arizona and western Mexico (north-eastern Baja and southern Sonora)

• Q. m. monsoni:

• South-eastern Arizona to western Texas and Mexican Plateau to Jalisco and Guanajuato

• Q. m. prosopidicola:

• South-eastern New Mexico to southern Texas, Coahuila, San Luis Potosí and southern Tamaulipas

• Q. m. graysoni:

• Coastal north-western Mexico (Sinaloa)

• Q. m. obscurus:

• Coastal south-western Mexico (Nayarit to Guerrero)

• Q. m. mexicanus:

• Southern Mexico (eastern Jalisco and San Luis Potosí) to northern Nicaragua

• Q. m. loweryi:

• Coastal Yucatán Peninsula, Belize and adjacent offshore islands

• Q. m. peruvianus:

• Pacific coast of Costa Rica to north-western Peru and north-western Venezuela

[edit] Habitat

They can be found in a wide variety of habitats; marshes, wetlands, hill bushy areas, golf courses and gardens.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. BF Member Observations

• List of references

[edit] External Links