Great-tailed grackle urban roost

Great-tailed grackles force their existence into urban spaces. Every dusk during Arizona's mild winters, these birds congregate and chatter for two hours, avian voices intermingling with bustling downtown activity. This sample features the grackles at their peak, a hundred birds shouting to be heard over one another. Yet, they share an uneasy coexistence with the city: local businesses hire people to scare away the grackles with laser pointers, while a loud siren frightens off the birds in the recording, causing them to fly across the roadside canopy in a fretful murmuration. Eventually, the grackles settle, and they gabber until falling asleep, voices quieting into a gentle din.

This recording was created for a study on great-tailed grackle roost vocalisation behaviour.

Recorded in Tempe, AZ, USA by Brandon Ligon.