Greater Antillean Grackle
Encyclopedia
The Greater Antillean Grackle (Quiscalus niger) is a grackle
found throughout the Greater Antilles
and the Cayman Islands
as well as smaller, nearby islands. Like all Quiscalus grackles, it is a rather large, gregarious bird. The 27 cm long male is glossy black with a large tail; the 24 cm long female has a smaller tail and is similar in colour but less glossy than the male. It lives largely in heavily settled areas.
It has a variety of local names such as Cling-cling or variations of this name in Jamaica
and the Cayman Islands. It is commonly known as Toti in Cuba
, Chango in Puerto Rico
or as Chinchilín (onomatopoeic for its song) in the Dominican Republic
.
There are seven subspecies, each restricted to one island or island group. They differ from the nominate Hispaniola
subspecies niger in size, bill size, and colour tone.
Quiscalus
The avian genus Quiscalus contains six of the ten species of grackle, gregarious passerine birds in the Icterid family. They are native to North and South America...
found throughout the Greater Antilles
Greater Antilles
The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as...
and the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
as well as smaller, nearby islands. Like all Quiscalus grackles, it is a rather large, gregarious bird. The 27 cm long male is glossy black with a large tail; the 24 cm long female has a smaller tail and is similar in colour but less glossy than the male. It lives largely in heavily settled areas.
It has a variety of local names such as Cling-cling or variations of this name in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and the Cayman Islands. It is commonly known as Toti in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Chango in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
or as Chinchilín (onomatopoeic for its song) in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
.
There are seven subspecies, each restricted to one island or island group. They differ from the nominate Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
subspecies niger in size, bill size, and colour tone.
See also
- Fauna of Puerto RicoFauna of Puerto RicoThe fauna of Puerto Rico is similar to other island archipelago faunas, with high endemism, and low, skewed taxonomic diversity. Bats are the only extant native terrestrial mammals in Puerto Rico. All other terrestrial mammals in the area were introduced by humans, and include species such as cats,...
- List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico
- List of Puerto Rican birds
- List of Vieques birds