New World Blackbirds (Icteridae)

Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris) - HBW 16, p. 779

French: Quiscale merle German: Trauergrackel Spanish: Zanate Caribeño
Other common names: Lesser Antillean Grackle; Barbados Grackle (“fortirostris group”)

Taxonomy: Quiscalus lugubris Swainson, 1838, Guyana.
Formerly placed with Q. niger in a separate genus, Holoquiscalus; thought to be closest to that species, but recent analysis of mitochondrial DNA indicates closer relationship with Q. nicaraguensis than with other members of genus. Races form two groups, “fortirostris group” (including contrusus), with blackish-brown females, and “lugubris group” (remaining six races), with paler brownish females; sometimes thought to represent two separate species, but darkness of females evidently variable. Further, a molecular-genetic (mtDNA) comparison of some mainland races with some island ones showed sequence divergence of 3·9%, indicating prolonged isolation, but many island races were not examined; mtDNA from two individuals from Barbados resembled that of distant Trinidad individuals, perhaps reflecting human introduction. More information on all races required. Proposed race dispar (described from Kingstown, on St Vincent) refers to occasional vagrants of fortirostris. Eight subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

guadeloupensis Lawrence, 1879 - NC Lesser Antilles (Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica and Martinique).
inflexirostris Swainson, 1838 - St Lucia, in C Lesser Antilles.
contrusus (J. L. Peters, 1925) - St Vincent, in S Lesser Antilles.

See all 8 subspecies

guadeloupensis Lawrence, 1879 - NC Lesser Antilles (Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica and Martinique).
inflexirostris Swainson, 1838 - St Lucia, in C Lesser Antilles.
contrusus (J. L. Peters, 1925) - St Vincent, in S Lesser Antilles.
fortirostris Lawrence, 1868 - Barbados, in S Lesser Antilles.
luminosus Lawrence, 1878 - the Grenadines and Grenada (S Lesser Antilles) and Los Testigos (off NE Venezuela).
orquillensis (Cory, 1909) - Los Hermanos, off N Venezuela.
insularis Richmond, 1896 - Margarita I and Los Frailes, off NE Venezuela.
lugubris Swainson, 1838 - mainland Venezuela (S to middle and lower R Orinoco), NE Colombia (Orinoco basin in Arauca and Vichada), Trinidad and Tobago (possibly introduced), and E along coasts of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana to N Brazil (Amapá).