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Platte River Status: A locally common nesting species. The earliest record we have from the Mormon Island Crane Meadows, Hall County, is 5 April 1984. Great-tailed grackle was first recorded in the study area during the spring and summer of 1976 at the Sacramento-Wilcox Wildlife Management Area, Phelps County (Longfellow 1979). On 12 May 1977, several pairs were presumably nesting among blue spruce trees on the central Nebraska Technical College campus in Hastings, Adams County (Sharpe 1977). Since that time, nesting has been confirmed near Gibbon, Buffalo County (Faanes and Norling 1979), and in Grand Island, Hall County. Breeding pairs were first present in Lexington, Dawson County, in May 1980.

Breeding Range: At present, great-tailed grackle is restricted to the Platte River Valley during the nesting season. We expect this bird to significantly expand its nesting range northward and eastward in the next 10 years.

Breeding Population: We failed to record great-tailed grackles on our census plots during extensive surveys in 1979-1980. In 1988, we estimated that about 250 pairs are nesting in our area.

Habitat: We found nesting colonies in emergent vegetation associated with borrow pits along Interstate Highway 80, and in coniferous shelterbelts established in residential areas.

Effect of Habitat Alteration: Alteration of the landscape including the establishment of shelterbelts and ornamental plantings has benefited this species and facilitated its rapid range expansion throughout the southern Great Plains. We suspect that pioneering birds during the next decade will be highly dependent on man-made habitats for nesting.

Nesting Data: We have located 25 nests in the study area. The earliest egg date is 3 May 1984, with young fledged by 15 June. Egg dates in Oklahoma range from 7 May to 1 July (Johnsgard 1979).