Grackle or Crow: What Are The Differences?

Crickets and crows are very similar in many ways. They are dark-skinned, have pointed beaks, and have shrill, high-pitched calls, and they all attack bird tables and drive away or even attack other birds. So, what’s the difference between grackles and crows?

First off, grackles and crows aren’t in the same family, or even related.freckles are jaundice belong to the family Waspswhile the crow is crow belong to the family CorvidaeFinches are related to blackbirds, bullthrushes, and larks, while crows are related to crows, magpies, and jays.

Crows are widespread and live in most parts of the world, while grackles live only in the Americas. Crickets and crows look alike in some ways and share similar behaviors, but are certainly not related in any meaningful way.

However, freckles and crows are often confused. Read on to learn all about the differences between grackles and crows!

common grouper

american crow

Which is bigger, a grackle or a crow?

Crows are almost always larger than grackles. There are many types of crows, ranging in size from small crows, which are about 35 to 45 centimeters long, to American crows, which are about 40 to 55 centimeters long.

Freckles are on average small. The Common grackle is about 28 to 34 cm (11 to 13 inches) long and has a wingspan of 36 to 46 cm (14 to 18 inches). American crows have a wingspan of up to 1m.

Common grackles weigh 74 to 142 g (2.6 to 5.0 oz), while American crows weigh 300 to 600 g (11 to 21 oz). In most cases, the American crow dwarfs the common markings.

This makes grackles smaller than most small crows, much smaller than American crows. Grackles are closer in size to blackbirds than crows.

There are other larger crows, such as the corvus, but they are still smaller than most.

Ravens are usually always bigger than Grackles

Other differences between grackles and crows

Besides size, there are many other differences between grackles and crows:

feather

Almost all crows are black or gray, or a combination of black and gray.

In contrast, some groupers are predominantly black, including the common grouper, but many have colored sections. Examples include the red-bellied grouper, which has a red belly, and the poop grouper, which has a blue portion on its belly.

Ravens lack this color variation. In fact, jays are the only corvids to display multiple colors besides black, white, and grey.

The Common grackle is predominantly black, but its head, neck, and chest glow with iridescent blue, which is especially prominent in the male. Raven also has an iridescent sheen, but this is more of a soft teal.

Close-up of a perched Grackle

Eye

Almost all adult crows have black eyes. In contrast, most grackles have pale, gray, or yellow eyes.

Young crows have blue eyes, while young grackles often have dark brown or black eyes.

call and voice

Crows have a very unique piercing call! Calling, and a variety of harsh or rough squeals and rattles.

Grakles are not particularly melodic birds either, but have a wide range of whistles and clicks that are more subtle than crows. Both birds are very guttural, but grackles lack the classic call of crows.

american crow close up

Common Grakle shutdowns

diet

Crickets and crows share some similar behaviors. Both are omnivores, feeding on plant foods, insects, and various invertebrates. Both birds also eat vertebrates, including rodents, small lizards, and other birds. Both crows and grackles are capable of attacking members of their own species or other birds, especially during breeding season.

Additionally, both birds prefer to forage on the ground. Crows exhibit more scavenging behavior, but grackles also feed on scraps of meat and human leftovers.

Grackles employ a strange feeding technique called “antling,” in which they are willing to let ants crawl across their feathers. In some birds, this is a feeding technique, but in the case of freckles, the formic acid released by the ants is thought to help the birds preen their feathers.

A crow holds a turtle egg in its beak

migrant

Additionally, both crows and grackles are largely gregarious, forming sizable flocks outside of the breeding season. However, Common grackles are migratory birds, almost always within the eastern Canadian range of the United States. Almost all species of crows are only partially migratory.

distribute

There are many more types of crows than grackles. There are diverse corvus genus on almost every continent. In contrast, freckles occur only in the Americas, and there are fewer types.

In North America, the common grouper is mainly concentrated in eastern Canada and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. The American crow ranges across most of North America, but probably not as far as the North American crow. Crows and grackles are found throughout Central and South America.

Gracle eating crayfish

intelligence

Crows are the smartest of all birds (and animals in general). In fact, the entire Corvid family is considered very intelligent.

Grackles is no slouch in that department, and is known to be very smart and resourceful. However, crows are undoubtedly the more intelligent, intuitive and curious birds.

life

Crows and grackles have similar life spans. Most crows live about 4 to 7 years, but some have reached 22 years or more in the wild.

The average life span of grouper is 6 to 8 years, and some can reach more than 20 years old. Both are longevity birds.

perched crow call

breeding

Crows usually form strong, lifelong monogamous partnerships. In contrast, most grackles are only seasonally monogamous, forming new pairs each breeding season.

Systematics

As mentioned earlier, grackles and crows belong to different families and are not related. Both are passerine birds, but freckles belong to the family of egrets, while crows belong to the family of corvids.

nesting

When it comes to nest building, woodpeckers and crows are very similar. Both like to build their nests in tall, solid trees, and the nests themselves are often quite large. However, crow nests are usually larger than grackle nests, are well maintained, and are often reused year after year.

Gluck standing on a rock

female grackle vs female crow

Female crows look similar to male crows, while female crows lack color and tend to be more brown than male crows.

It can be difficult to tell male and female crows apart based on appearance alone. They look almost identical, except that their crests appear slightly differently (the males’ crests are larger and more expressive, i.e. they move more often).

Male and female freckles are also similar, but females usually lack the same intensity of color as males. For example, the chest, head and neck of the female Common grackle are not as blue, but slightly brown. Other species of grackles have other differences; for example, male Great-tailed grackles have much longer tails than females.

Teen Grackle vs Teen Crow

Generally, juvenile crows are black with blue eyes, while juvenile crows are brown with black eyes.

The crows hatch mostly nude and develop a shaggy, fluffy black down after a few days. By juvenile stage, they are covered with black plumage (or black and gray in some species). Juvenile crows are fluffier and more scruffy than the plumage of adults.

The most powerful indicator of juvenile crows are their blue eyes, which gradually darken as adults.

Baby grackles are also basically born naked. Juveniles look similar to female thrushes – they are mouse to dark brown. Their eyes are also darker, becoming lighter as they mature.