grackle

noun

grack·le | \ ˈgra-kəl

Definition of grackle

1 : any of a genus (Quiscalus of the family Icteridae) of large American blackbirds having iridescent black plumage

2 : any of various Asian starlings (such as the hill mynahs)

Examples of grackle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the study, published in 2016 in PeerJ, the grackles were given puzzles containing food as a prize. — National Geographic, "Why Ravens and Crows Are Earth’s Smartest Birds," 15 Mar. 2018 But for most Texans, the great grackle will continue to be a bothersome bird. — William Axford, Houston Chronicle, "Watch: A massive amount of grackles overtake a Houston intersection," 7 Feb. 2018 Our urbanized environments favor bird species that are flexible in their eating and foraging habits, and willing to do bold, innovative things, like blackbirds or grackles or sparrows. — National Geographic, "Here's Why 'Birdbrain' Should Be a Compliment," 15 May 2016 Now a study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE finds that two more species successfully perform the task: the bullfinch (Loxigilla barbadensis) and the Carib grackle (Quiscalus lugubris fortirostris), both of Barbados. — National Geographic, "Brainy Birds Know How to Reel in Food With String," 17 Aug. 2016 A man called about an injured common grackle in the yard. — Washington Post, "Fairfax County Animal Watch," 6 June 2017 Our urbanized environments favor bird species that are flexible in their eating and foraging habits, and willing to do bold, innovative things, like blackbirds or grackles or sparrows. — National Geographic, "Here's Why 'Birdbrain' Should Be a Compliment," 15 May 2016 The focus of the new report, all the songbirds identified so far represent a single subgroup – the Icteridae – that contains blackbirds, orioles, grackles, cowbirds, and others. — Brian Switek, WIRED, "The Lost Cowbird of Térapa," 14 Mar. 2011

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grackle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.