Anguilla, Antigua And Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, St Kitts And Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris) [XC754054]
by Bobby Wilcox from Quind\u00edo: Valle de Cocora, Salento 1950 m, Colombia (call, song)
Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris) [XC706572]
by Patricio Mena Valenzuela from Humedal Jaboque, Bogot\u00e1, Colombia (call, song)
Subspecies
Formerly placed with Greater Antillean Grackle (Quiscalus niger) in a separate genus, Holoquiscalus and thought to be closest to that species, but recent analysis of mitochondrial DNA indicates closer relationship with Nicaraguan Grackle (Quiscalus nicaraguensis) than with other members of genus. Subspecies 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 subspecies with some island ones showed sequence divergence of 3·9%, indicating prolonged isolation, but many island subspecies were not examined; mtDNA from two individuals from Barbados resembled that of distant Trinidad individuals, perhaps reflecting human introduction. More information on all subspecies required.
Proposed subspecies dispar (described from Kingstown, on St Vincent) refers to occasional vagrants of fortirostris.
The following 8 subspecies are recognised:
guadeloupensis Lawrence, 1879 - North-central Lesser Antilles (Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica and Martinique).
inflexirostris Swainson, 1838 - St Lucia, in central Lesser Antilles.
contrusus (Peters, JL, 1925) - St Vincent, in southern Lesser Antilles.
fortirostris Lawrence, 1868 - Barbados, in southern Lesser Antilles.
luminosus Lawrence, 1878 - The Grenadines and Grenada (southern Lesser Antilles) and Los Testigos (off north-eastern Venezuela).
orquillensis (Cory, 1909) - Los Hermanos, off northern Venezuela.
insularis Richmond, 1896 - Margarita I and Los Frailes, off north-eastern Venezuela.
lugubris Swainson, 1838 - Mainland Venezuela (south to middle and lower R Orinoco), north-eastern Colombia (Orinoco basin in Arauca and Vichada), Trinidad and Tobago (possibly introduced), and eastern along coasts of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana to northern Brazil (Amapá).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet