Great-tailed or Carib Grackle (1 Viewer)

[Oscar0906]

Hi,

Can someone help me identify this bird I saw in Aruba recently. I have trouble differentiating between carib- and great-tailed Grackle.
Thanks for the help!

Oscar

 

[Butty]

Great-tailed grackle is said to be a rarity - so, if you've seen more than a couple of these . . .
And its tail doesn't look particularly huge/weird, nor its bill particularly murderous.

 

[KC Foggin]

Tough one but I'll go with Great-tailed.

 

[THE_FERN]

Suggest Carib just because tail looks short. (Dunno about "murderous": don't all grackles look +/- like that?)

 

[njlarsen]

Great-tailed grackle is said to be a rarity - so, if you've seen more than a couple of these . . .
And its tail doesn't look particularly huge/weird, nor its bill particularly murderous.

This seems to be wrong regarding the frequency. Compare

https://ebird.org/barchart?r=AW&bmo=1&emo=12&byr=1900&eyr=2022&spp=cargra1

https://ebird.org/barchart?r=AW&bmo=1&emo=12&byr=1900&eyr=2022&spp=grtgra

One is 2-5 birds per observer-hour with the other around 20, so definitely higher probability for CaGr but not that the other is a rarity.

Looking at images, carib grackle seems more variable (especially in bill size) than I imagined, I have not visited all the areas they live. I am therefore undecided on the id.

See for example this image which reports to be one from Aruba: Carib Grackle

Niels

 

[Oscar0906]

Thanks for the help guys! Comparing it to the other grackles I saw on the island, guess I'll go with great-tailed

 

[THE_FERN]

Thanks for the help guys! Comparing it to the other grackles I saw on the island, guess I'll go with great-tailed

Interesting you went for that. 2/4 said Carib, 1 said great-tailed, and one was undecided. On that basis should be Carib

 

[Butty]

There is no 'should be' in such things. Nor is there even, in this case, what could be called a consensus. The OP has given her/his (perfectly valid and unanswerable) reason for preferring one ID, and that's where we should leave it.

 

[Oscar0906]

Exactly, I started this thread hoping to hear clear arguments for the one or the other.
You provided me with aruments and counter-arguments but no consensus.

 

[THE_FERN]

Exactly, I started this thread hoping to hear clear arguments for the one or the other.
You provided me with aruments and counter-arguments but no consensus.

It's entirely your choice of course, but I didn't see any clear arguments in favour of great-tailed.

 

[Butty]

I didn't see any clear arguments

Comparing it to the other grackles I saw on the island