144 Birds of Buzzard's Roost 



ing the breeding season, the 'song' of the western birds being 

 very much louder and more musical or metallic than that of its 

 eastern relative." The bill of the adult male bronzed grackle 

 is heavy at the base, more than an inch long, tapering to a 

 sharp point, and of a deep black color ; iris of the eye is of 

 yellowish white and quite conspicuous ; head, neck and chest of 

 varying color from greenish blue to purple, the neck and chest 

 sometimes brassy green ; rest of plumage above uniform 

 bronze or brassy olive ; wing coverts, secondaries and coverts 

 of the tail, rich light violet in which the red prevails ; the rest 

 of the wings, and cueniform tail are black, glossed with steel 

 blue ; tarsi long and feet large, which enables them to walk 

 well. Adult female similar to the male, but decidedly smaller 

 and much duller in color. When going only a short distance 

 they keel their tail feathers, holding them upward from the 

 middle, and hence their name, keel-tailed grackle. 



This grackle occupies the Mississippi Valley and Great 

 Plains as far west as the Rocky Mountains, ranging north- 

 ward to the Great Slave Lake and southern Newfoundland, 

 and east coast of southern New England. In Canada an d" the 

 northern United States it is only a summer resident, but in 

 the Southern States it is present throughout the year, and in 

 winter its numbers are increased by millions of migrants from 

 the north. It does not occur south of the Gulf States. 



The bronzed grackle is a gregarious species, usually 

 breeding in colonies and migrating in flocks. Evergreen trees 

 are their favorite nesting sites, and this brings many of them 

 to the lawns about our homes. The nest is made of grass, 

 weeds and mud and lined with grass and feathers. The num- 

 ber of eggs to a clutch varies from four to six. They vary 

 much in color. As a rule, however, the groundwork is a solid 

 blue or green, streaked with various shades of dark brown. 

 Incubation lasts about two weeks. Both birds share the labor 

 of incubation. The young remain in the nest about eighteen 

 days. 



Much has been written about the "asthmatic serenade" 

 of the bronze'd grackle, and but little in appreciation of its 

 musical qualities. Mr. John Burroughs says, "There is evi- 

 dently some music in the soul of this bird at this season 



