Why Do Grackles Look Up?

Have you ever looked outside and seen a group of grackles appearing to look up at the sky? If so, you’re probably wondering about this strange behavior, and contrary to what you may believe, they aren’t looking at the sky to try and figure out what the weather is going to do. So, why do grackles look up? Keep reading! In this article, we’ll answer this question and more.

Why Do Grackles Look Up Toward the Sky?

If you see a grackle with its beak pointing straight up, it isn’t really trying to get a look at the sky; its eyes are on the sides of its head so it can’t see the sky unless it tilts its head to the side. 

When the beak is pointing straight up, the bird is engaging in a unique mating ritual called “bill tilt.” 

Grackles will point their bills toward the sky and stick out their chest as a means of establishing dominance. They perform these actions while attempting to win the attention of a certain female or to scare off another male.

But why do they do this? 

Female grackles prefer to mate with dominant males, so males will attempt to establish dominance over each other so they can have their choice of available females. The beak tilt ritual is an instinctive activity to preserve the species, as those who are the strongest tend to produce stronger, more dominant offspring. 

So basically, the birds are competing with each other when they do the bill tilt.

Grackles will typically do the bill tilt only when there are more males than females or when multiple males are trying to win one specific female. Sometimes, the bill tilt is also done when new birds, whether male or female, arrive in the flock. 

Usually, multiple males will engage in the practice at once; they will try to see who can hold on for the longest period of time pointing their beak in the air. Sometimes females compete in the ritual as well. 

The entire ritual usually lasts no longer than several seconds, and once a bird has established dominance by winning, it rarely competes again.

Gradually, those who cannot tilt their bill as high or as long will start to drop out of the competition. The one remaining at the end is seen as the dominant one and typically wins the female.

You may see grackles performing this behavior at your bird feeder or while interacting with other grackles in your yard. On rare occasions, the birds may get aggressive while doing the bill tilt, but usually, the ritual is peaceful–a way of establishing dominance without risking injury or death to others of the group.

Why Do Grackles Puff Up?

You may have noticed grackles fluffing out their feathers while communicating, eating, or engaging in other behaviors. But what does this particular behavior indicate?

Sometimes, grackles will simply puff out their feathers while talking to each other, as shown in the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTicoX3uO9U

This weird action is part of the grackle’s normal behavior. They typically do it anytime they are communicating, but may puff up more when establishing dominance, attempting to attract a mate, or scaring off predators.

In addition to puffing out their feathers and pointing their beaks in the air, other grackle mating activities include:

• Spreading wings: If you ever see a grackle perched on a branch or walking around with its wings spread open, this is a sign that the bird is trying to impress a female.

• Puffing out tails: Sometimes male grackles will flair out their tails as well. Again, this is in an effort to impress a female member of the flock.

• Singing a mating call: Male grackles will call to their potential mates in short, screeching bursts of sound. They don’t have the most melodic tones in the bird kingdom, but their songs are an important part of the courtship process for grackles.

On some occasions, the male birds will get aggressive, approaching the female repeatedly and attempting to chase away other birds in the area. Most of the time, though, the grackle’s mating ritual is a peaceful, non-violent process.

Are Grackles Mean to Other Birds?

According to Audubon, grackles sometimes eat other, smaller birds such as the house sparrow. They have also been known to steal eggs and baby birds from the nests of other bird species.

While these highly aggressive behaviors are not very common, they happen regularly enough that the grackle has a reputation for being a mean bird. 

For the most part, grackles are only mean to birds of other species. But sometimes, they can be mean to each other as well.

In general, grackles are seen as highly social creatures: they flock together in groups of up to a million birds at a time, congregating to eat and sleep together. But even in these large groups, males may fight over females and attempt to establish dominance over each other, as discussed above.

They sometimes steal food from other birds and may even steal from each other if food is scarce. In general, though, grackles get along well with members of their own species, and the bill tilt ritual is a perfect example of their ability to find mates and establish dominance in a peaceful, non-threatening way.

Conclusion

If you see a grackle, or several grackles, staring up toward the sky, chances are they are all trying to win the same mate and show the other members of the flock who’s boss. This mating ritual is known as bill-tilt.