The Differences Between a Crow & a Grackle

The American crow and the common grackle look almost identical at a distance. The two birds, however, have a number of physical and behavioral differences that can help to identify them. The crow belongs to the same family as jays, while the grackle belongs to the blackbird family.

  1. Appearance

    • At a glance, the two birds appear similar, but the crow is larger. It grows to between 15 and 20 inches tall with a wingspan of 33 to 39 inches. The grackle grows to between 11 and 13 inches tall and has a wingspan of 14 to 18 inches. Crows are completely black with a sheen to their feathers. At a distance, the grackle appears black with the same sheen, but up close it has a dark purple head and bronze coloration to parts of the body. The eyes are also a give-away: The grackle has yellow eyes, while the crow's are black.

    Habitat and Range

    • The American crow is common throughout almost the entire continental U.S. It inters far north into most of Canada. The common grackle lives year-round in the southeastern U.S. and in summer is found as far west as Montana and north into central Canada. Both birds share common habitat types and are adapted to both urban and rural areas.

    Diet and Predators

    • Both birds are omnivores, eating insects and small vertebrates such as amphibians, rodents and birds. Fruits and grains are also part of the diet. The grackle, in particular, feeds heavily on corn. Crows are often seen at the site of a roadkill carcass. The crow is also safe from more predators than the grackle. Grackles are at risk from an array of snakes and small birds of prey that the crow itself might harass and kill.

    Life Cycle

    • Both birds form monogamous breeding pairs that share nest-building and care for the young. Crows lay larger and more eggs, averaging three to nine, compared to the grackle's one to seven. Crow eggs take longer to incubate by about two days. Crow chicks stay in the nest more than twice as long as the grackle's young, almost 40 days compared to 17. Grackles live up to 20 years in the wild, about five more than the average crow.