Common Grackle vs Common Kidney-Vetch

Quiscalus quiscula compared with Anthyllis vulneraria

Key Differences

Common Grackle is Not Evaluated while Common Kidney-Vetch is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Grackle	Common Kidney-Vetch
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Passeriformes (Songbirds)	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)
Family	Icteridae	Fabaceae
Genus	Quiscalus	Anthyllis
Species	Quiscalus quiscula	Anthyllis vulneraria

Conservation Status

Common Grackle

NE — Not Evaluated

Common Kidney-Vetch

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Grackle	Common Kidney-Vetch
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Grackle

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom, and United States.

Common Kidney-Vetch

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Libya), Asia (Japan), Europe (9 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Grackle

<em>Quiscalus quiscula</em>, commonly known as the common grackle, is a passerine bird belonging to the genus Quiscalus within the family Icteridae. This adaptable species occupies various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments, reflecting a broad ecological tolerance that has allowed it to thrive across a range of landscapes. Its documented range includes the United States as its primary stronghold, with additional records from Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom, where individuals may appear as vagrants or established non-native populations. Common grackle is typically associated with open and semi-open habitats including agricultural fields, marshes, parks, and suburban areas. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Common Kidney-Vetch

Common Kidney-Vetch (<em>Anthyllis vulneraria</em>) is a flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae, assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to habitat degradation and agricultural intensification across parts of its range. It is widely distributed across Africa (Libya), Asia (Japan), Europe (nine countries), North America (Canada and the United States), and Oceania (Australia), occupying six distinct biome types and occurring within the Indomalayan and Oceanian biogeographic realms. The species typically grows in dry, calcareous grasslands, coastal cliffs, sand dunes, and rocky slopes, often favoring nutrient-poor soils. It is an important larval food plant for certain butterfly species, particularly the Small Blue butterfly in Europe, and contributes to soil fertility through nitrogen fixation via root nodules. Its cheerful yellow, orange, or red flower heads make it a recognizable component of chalk and limestone grassland communities. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.