Talk:Quiscalus

Redirect from grackle?

Are all Quiscalus grackles and all grackles Quiscalus? Because in that case grackle should redirect to Quiscalus. I just want to make sure that it wouldn't create any confusion before doing it. IronChris | (talk) 22:24, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

Of 10 species named as grackles, six are Quiscalus, so it's not a synonym. See the list at Icterid, esp. near the bottom. jimfbleak 04:52, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the clarification! IronChris | (talk) 05:33, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

But there is a redirect from grackle. What figures? 62.0.146.14 09:32, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

I fixed this by reinstating the article on grackles, and adding info there on the additional species. --ubiquity 15:30, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

I may have found the source for the disputed claim.

[1] The hill myna's genus is "gracula" and in India hill mynas are called "grackles". According to the link [2] one of the names for the hill myna is "common grackle" though they are completely unrelated to the "common grackles" in this article.(Mynas are starlings). The first source even states that the myna "learns to imitate human speech far better than its chief rival, the gray parrot". It would appear that this claim was based on a source that was referring to Mynas- a different bird altogether. JeffStickney 19:47, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

• If that is the case, the statement that Quiscalus can immitate human speech, better than or even the same as a parrot, is in fact, false. It is an error and should be removed from the article. It was the result of someone mistaking one genus for another. Based on my own bird-watching observation, (and I'm hugely interested in watching grackles, they're commical birds!) Boat Tailed Grackles and Great Tailed Grackles, have a Mockingbird-like ability to imitate other birds and sounds. (Common Grackles, not so much.) Like a mockingbird, they may eventually immitate the *rhythm* of a spoken phrase they hear repeatedly, but I have certianly never heard of one imitating actual *words* inteligably. -Fish Man

From the two sources it seems to be the case, but in case I'm wrong I would like to give the original poster a chance to respond. The "fact" template just went up yesterday.JeffStickney 22:40, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm going to go ahead and remove it since it has remained unsourced for a while, and is likely to be in error. If the original poster wants to put it back in, they can cite the source. Just remember- a non-American source that uses the word "grackle" could refer to the unrelated myna, so a species name would be necessary.JeffStickney 21:30, 6 July 2007 (UTC)