There are a lot of Common Grackles in Central Park, and it is a frequent puddle visitor. The male is an aggressive bully. Today I saw him do something unusual.
Watch the video and see if you can guess why he is puffing up like an angry black balloon. I’ve given you three choices. As you watch, notice the irridescent sheen to his feathers.
- Aggression
- Chirping
- Feeding
Make your guesses and I’ll tell you in my next post.
Bonus question: Which part of a boat is the Common Grackle’s cousin the Boat-tailed Grackle named for?
A View From My Puddle 
I love this! My guess is aggression.
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I’m going to guess chirping…that’s what he needs to do to make his sounds?? Crazy to watch him inflate!
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And is the Boat-tailed Grackle named for the hull? Or deck? I can’t wait to find out!
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Love the “angry balloon” image. I’ve got to go with feeding since no one else has. He seems to inflate after he takes a sip. Look forward to seeing more visitors to the puddle.
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Aggression
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