Grackles (including the Common, Boat-tailed, and Great-tailed species) can quickly become unwelcome guests at backyard feeding stations. These large, iridescent blackbirds travel in coordinated flocks that rapidly empty feeders, often wasting significant amounts of seed. The Common Grackle averages 2.6 to 5.0 ounces and can measure over a foot in length, making it much larger than preferred songbirds. Their size and aggressive demeanor allow them to dominate smaller species, driving away preferred songbirds like chickadees, finches, and nuthatches. The most effective approach to managing their presence involves implementing selective strategies that exploit the grackle’s physical limitations and dietary preferences.
Physical Adjustments to Feeding Stations
One effective strategy involves using the grackle’s weight against it with specialized feeding equipment. Weight-activated feeders have perches that trigger a closing mechanism when a bird exceeds a specific weight threshold, typically set below three ounces. This exploits the physical difference between larger grackles and smaller songbirds, ensuring only lighter birds can access the seed ports.
Another successful structural solution is the use of caged feeders, often called “cage-within-a-cage” designs. These feeders are surrounded by a wire mesh with openings sized to exclude larger birds. A mesh opening of about 1.5 to 2 inches allows small birds to slip through easily while blocking the grackle’s wider body. This barrier ensures that only smaller species can reach the interior feeding apparatus.
Modifying the feeder’s perches can create a significant deterrent due to the grackle’s feeding posture. Grackles prefer to land and feed while standing upright, requiring a stable, flat surface. Removing or dramatically shortening perches on tube feeders forces them to cling awkwardly to the feeder’s side. Switching to an upside-down suet feeder also forces a bird to hang. This position is manageable for agile woodpeckers and nuthatches but difficult for the grackle’s body structure.
Strategic Food Choices
Changing the seed offered is a powerful method to discourage grackles, who are less specialized eaters than many smaller feeder birds. Safflower seeds are highly effective because grackles generally dislike the bitter taste of the white seed shell. Cardinals, chickadees, and titmice readily consume safflower, allowing you to feed desired species without attracting large flocks of blackbirds.
Another menu change involves switching to Nyjer seed, which requires a specialized feeder with tiny ports difficult for a large-billed grackle to extract. Conversely, it is important to remove foods that grackles favor, such as cracked corn, millet, and standard black-oil sunflower seeds. These common seeds should be eliminated from all birdseed mixes if grackle presence is a problem.
Using suet cakes treated with capsaicin, the compound found in chili peppers, offers a selective feeding solution. This works because birds are biologically different from mammals, lacking the specific receptors that register the burning sensation of capsaicin. The hot pepper suet is completely palatable to all birds, including grackles. It effectively deters squirrels, raccoons, and other mammals that might otherwise compete for the food source.
Feeder Placement and Active Deterrents
The location of the feeding station can influence the comfort level of a grackle flock. Grackles often congregate in tall, dense trees before descending on a feeder. Placing feeders in more open areas can make them feel more exposed. Moving a feeder closer to a house or a frequently used window can also be effective because grackles are easily startled and prefer to feed away from human activity.
Visual deterrents provide an immediate, active way to discourage a visiting flock. Holographic or metallic reflective tape works by creating a disturbance. The material flashes with intense, reflected sunlight, which birds find disorienting. Additionally, the movement of the ribbon produces a sharp, metallic sound when it flaps in the wind. These combined visual and auditory stimuli disrupt the grackles’ sense of safety, encouraging them to leave the area.
If a large flock has established a routine visit, the most direct action is to temporarily remove the feeders entirely. Taking down all food sources for three to five days breaks the grackles’ habit and encourages them to seek a more reliable food supply elsewhere. Once the flock has moved on, the feeders can be returned with the recommended food and physical adjustments.