Crested oropendola

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Crested oropendola
Crested oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus insularis).jpg
P. d. insularis, Trinidad
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Icteridae
Genus: Psarocolius
Species:
P. decumanus
Binomial name
Psarocolius decumanus
(Pallas, 1769)
Psarocolius decumanus map.svg

The crested oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus), also known as the Suriname crested oropendola or the cornbird, is a New World tropical icterid bird. It is a resident breeder in lowland South America east of the Andes, from Panama and Colombia south to northern Argentina, as well as on Trinidad and Tobago. If the genus Gymnostinax for the Montezuma oropendola and its closest relatives were considered valid, this species would probably belong in that genus (Price & Lanyon 2002).

Contents

It is a common bird, seen alone or in small flocks foraging in trees for large insects, fruit, seeds and some nectar. [2] The male is 46 cm long and weighs 300 g; the smaller female is 37 cm long and weighs 180 g.

The plumage of the crested oropendola has a musty smell due to the oil from the preen gland.

Description

Adult males are mainly black with a chestnut rump and a tail which is bright yellow apart from two dark central feathers. There is a long narrow crest which is often difficult to see. The iris is blue and the long bill is whitish. Females are similar but smaller, duller, and crestless.

Taxonomy

On Trinidad Psarocolius decumanus -Asa Wright Nature Centre, Northern Range, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago-8.jpg
On Trinidad

There are four subspecies:

Behaviour

The crested oropendola inhabits forest edges and clearings. It is a colonial breeder which builds a hanging woven nest, more than 125 cm long, high in a tree. It lays two blotched blue-grey eggs which hatch in 15–19 days, with another 24–36 days to fledging.

Each colony has a dominant male, which mates with most of the females following an elaborate bowing display. There may be 15-30 females and only 3-4 males. Outside the breeding season, this species is quite mobile, with some seasonal movements.

The distinctive songs of the male include a descending call reminiscent of sliding one's hand on a piano. Both sexes have a loud clack call.

The crested oropendola is a host of the Acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Apororhynchus aculeatus . [3]

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References

  1. BirdLife International (2020). "Psarocolius decumanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T22723982A138239106. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22723982A138239106.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. "Psarocolius decumanus (Crested Oropendola or Cornbird)" (PDF). Sta.uwi.edu. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  3. Byrd, Elon E.; Denton, J. Fred (1949). "The Helminth Parasites of Birds. II. A New Species of Acanthocephala from North American Birds". The Journal of Parasitology. 35 (4). The American Society of Parasitologists: 391–410. doi:10.2307/3273430. JSTOR   3273430. PMID   18133320.

Other sources