TexasCHLforum.com

The Annoyed Man wrote:

puma guy wrote:In reading from the law, Zotter said, "Grackles may be killed only when found committing or about to commit depredation."

When presented with that terminology, local game warden Mark Collins laughed and said he had never seen a grackle that was not "committing or about to commit depredation."

Now that there is funny. However, there was a time when I had just washed my car, and about 15 minutes later it looked like someone had splashed cups of white paint all over it.

What's worse, the grackles act like they know they're protected. Pretty soon, you won't even be able to say the "G" word any more.

I would think the guanofication of your vehicle who classify as depredation, but you'd probably have to do guano DNA test to prove to the Feds it was the correct bird. And of course was the Grackle read his rights and given due process? Our government at work, protecting unwanted, thieving, disease carrying invaders... Grackles, that is.

Crossfire wrote:I HATE grackles! They are nasty, filthy, noisy, aggresive, and worst of all, PROTECTED!

Otherwise, we would be having 4 and 20 grackles baked in a pie...

Plainview Herald, Plainview, TX

A reader called the Herald and asked if it was true that birds which could be seen in such large numbers around town really were protected.

According to local and area wildlife experts, the answer is "yes and no."

Joe Zotter, a wildlife biologist with the Texas Wildlife Services in Canyon, understood the confusion.

"It's a tricky law," he said.


As it turns out, Zotter said, by virtue of the fact that grackles are migratory, they are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. According to information found on the Internet, the agreement was created in 1918 between the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico and the former Soviet Union.

However, Zotter continued, there are circumstances under which grackles may be killed.

In reading from the law, Zotter said, "Grackles may be killed only when found committing or about to commit depredation."

When presented with that terminology, local game warden Mark Collins laughed and said he had never seen a grackle that was not "committing or about to commit depredation."

Per Wikipedia: The common grackle population has greatly increased in the Austin, Texas, area in recent years and has become quite a nuisance.[2]

The are more than Grackles committing depredation in Austin!