SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – As winter continues to approach, birds are starting to migrate south.
KELOLAND Chief Photographer Kevin Kjergaard captured video of large flocks of blackbirds, known as grackle, at Split Rock Creek near Brandon. You can view the video in the player above.
A grackle is a type of blackbird that makes a sound that most bird experts say is not musical. All About Birds from the Cornell lab of Ornithology describes grackles as “blackbirds that look like they’ve been slightly stretched. They’re taller and longer tailed than a typical blackbird, with a longer, more tapered bill and glossy-iridescent bodies.”
According to the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Breeding Bird Atlas, the common grackle is a confirmed breeder in all 66 counties and is one of the most abundant species in the state.
