# Name this bird.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-bird/421108>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 1, 2007, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-bird/421108 "2007-10-01T02:56:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2007, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-bird/421108/21 "2007-10-01T22:44:07Z")

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[QUOTE=jjimm]  
The blackbird to which **Mangetout** refers is the European blackbird, a single species - _turdus_ (heh heh) _merula_, which is indeed slightly larger than a European starling.  
[/QUOTE]

The European Blackbird is a thrush (Turdidae, snicker if you must), and not closely related to the blackbirds found in the Americas, which belong to the Icteridae, which includes the New World orioles, meadowlarks, grackles, blackbirds, and various tropical groups. The European Starling is in yet another family, Sturnidae, and the crows and ravens are in the family Corvidae.

There are a bunch of “blackbirds” among the Icteridae:

Rusty Blackbird  
Brewer’s Blackbird  
Red-winged Blackbird  
Tricolored Blackbird  
Yellow-headed Blackbird

The grackles are also in the Icteridae and usually considered to be “blackbirds” in the broad sense:

Common Grackle  
Boat-tailed Grackle  
Great-tailed Grackle

So are the cowbirds:

Brown-headed Cowbird  
Bronzed Cowbird

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2007, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-bird/421108/22 "2007-10-02T01:48:14Z")

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Well, I looked in my camera, and no pics.  
But I’m going to go with “grackle”, as in **elelle’s** post. Partly because of her description and links, but mostly because I like the sound of the word. It fits the bird I saw in Austin. And I just like sassy animals (and people). I have some crow buddies who hang around my house.  
Now if I could get a recording of their chorale serenade on my iPod, I’d be a happy man. 😃  
Peace, and thanks all.  
mangeorge

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**Author:** ![papaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@papaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papaw)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2007, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-bird/421108/23 "2007-10-02T03:33:48Z")

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The male grackle has a v-shaped tail. Don’t know if Starlings do.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2007, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-bird/421108/24 "2007-10-02T04:11:50Z")

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[QUOTE=papaw]  
The male grackle has a v-shaped tail. Don’t know if Starlings do.  
[/QUOTE]

Starlings have a quite short, rather squared off tail. Grackles are quite different in shape, and have a tail almost as long as the body.

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