PURPLE CRACKLE, OR CROW BLACKBIRD 



Male — Glossy black all over; iridescent on head and 

 neck ; tail long ; eyes light yellow ; bill and feet black. Length, 

 twelve inches. Female much smaller; plain black and without 

 the luster and changeableness of color of the male. 



The nest is large and compact, of mud and coarse grasses, 

 lined with fine grasses and some horse-hair. It is generally 

 built in evergreen trees thirty feet up from the ground. If a 

 tree is large, it may contain several nests, as the birds live in 

 colonies. A quiet park or cemetery containing evergreens 

 attracts them. For several years, a large flock has nested in 

 the cupola of one of the high schools in Buffalo, an unusual 

 occurrence in a large city. Eggs, three to six, bluish-green, 

 blotched with brown or black, 1.15 x .80 inches. 



This Grackle is made attractive by its shiny black coat 

 and by the ever-changing colors of purple and violet, green 

 and blue upon its head and neck, as the light strikes it at dif- 

 ferent angles. Its familiar way of exploring lawns and gar- 

 dens in city and country for insect food, the peculiar cock to 

 its long tail while in flight, and its hoarse cluck for a song are 

 striking traits of this bird. 



The Purple Grackle arrives in March and leaves in 

 November, always traveling in large flocks. Its range is 

 Eastern North America. It is larger than its Red-winged 

 Cousin, being half the size of the Crow which it resembles 

 closely. It is fond of company of its owh kind, and it also 

 associates in fall and winter with the other varieties of Black- 

 birds. 



The Crow Blackbird is accused of stealing grain and fruit, 



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