The Common Grackle is a bird that I was not familiar with before I came to Houston. They are one of the things that make Houston visually memorable for me.

These beautiful and noisy birds really take over the city at a certain hour in the evening. They congregate together in groups known as “plagues”.

Some insight from Ogden Nash:

The grackle’s voice is less than mellow,
His heart is black, his eye is yellow,
He bullies more attractive birds
With hoodlum deeds and vulgar words,
And should a human interfere,
Attacks that human in the rear.
I cannot help but deem the grackle
An ornithological debacle.

This is a beautiful video from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo:

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.