Ecuadorian cacique

Last updated

Ecuadorian cacique
Cacicus sclateri 1888.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Icteridae
Genus: Cacicus
Species:
C. sclateri
Binomial name
Cacicus sclateri
(Dubois, 1887)
Cacicus sclateri map.svg
Range of Cacicus sclateri

The Ecuadorian cacique (Cacicus sclateri) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. A fairly common bird with a wide range, the IUCN has rated it a "species of least concern".

Contents

Description

The male Ecuadorian cacique grows to a length of about 23 cm (9 in), with the female being a little smaller. The plumage of both sexes is entirely black, the beak is whitish, long and pointed, and the iris is blue in adults and brown in juveniles. [2] This bird can be distinguished from the otherwise similar solitary cacique (Cacicus solitarius) because that species is larger, has a darker-coloured iris and spends more time in undergrowth and near the ground and less time in trees. Also similar is the red-rumped cacique (C. haemorrhous), but it reveals its bright red rump patch when in flight. [2]

This bird has a number of noisy calls, including a repeated "péach-yo" and "péach-yo-yo", uttered while perched with raised tail, a "k-cheeyow?", and a "kweeyh-kweeyh-kweeyh-kweeyh-wonhh?" among others. [2]

Distribution and habitat

The species is native to southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador and northeastern Peru. [1] It typically lives in moist woodland and the edges of riverside and Várzea forests, at altitudes of up to 400 m (1,300 ft). [2]

Ecology

An arboreal bird, the Ecuadorian cacique usually feeds alone but sometimes pairs of birds or small family groups move together through the tree canopy. It often visits flowering and fruiting trees and can sometimes be seen probing the petioles of Cecropia trees. [2] Its diet is mainly insects such as ants, beetles and caterpillars, as well as fruit and possibly nectar. [3]

Status

C. sclateri has a wide range, its area of occupancy being estimated as 294,000 km2 (113,514 sq mi). The tropical forests in which it lives are being degraded, reducing the area of suitable habitat, however it is a fairly common species, and the rate of any decline in total population is likely to be slow, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as "least concern". [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-rumped cacique</span> Species of bird

The yellow-rumped cacique is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It breeds in much of northern South America from Panama and Trinidad south to Peru, Bolivia and central Brazil. However, they have been sighted as far north as Nayarit state in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cacique (bird)</span> Passerine birds in the New World blackbird family

The caciques are passerine birds in the New World blackbird family which are resident breeders in tropical South America north to Mexico. All of the group are in currently placed in the genus Cacicus, except the aberrant yellow-billed cacique, and the Mexican cacique which constitute respective monotypic genera. Judging from mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 sequence, the aberrant oropendolas band-tailed oropendola and casqued oropendola, Psarocolius oseryi seem to be closer to the caciques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subtropical cacique</span> Species of bird

The subtropical cacique is a passerine bird species in the New World family Icteridae. It breeds in the lower reaches of the northern Andes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivaceous siskin</span> Species of bird

The olivaceous siskin is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wattled guan</span> Species of bird

The wattled guan is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is a fairly large black cracid with blue-based, black-tipped beak and a long, red-and-yellow wattle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-billed cacique</span> Species of bird

The yellow-billed cacique is a species of cacique in the family Icteridae. It is monotypic within the genus Amblycercus. There is some question as to whether or not it is a true cacique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain cacique</span> Species of bird

The mountain cacique is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-rumped cacique</span> Species of bird

The red-rumped cacique is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is a species of the Amazon Basin and the Guyanas in northern South America, and is only coastal there in the Guyanas and the Amazon River outlet to the Atlantic; a separate large disjunct range exists in all of south-eastern and coastal Brazil, including Paraguay, and parts of north-eastern Argentina. It is also found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selva cacique</span> Species of bird

The Selva cacique is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is endemic to Peru where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is an uncommon and elusive bird and is threatened by habitat destruction; the population is thought to be declining rapidly and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the bird's conservation status as being "Near Threatened".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solitary cacique</span> Species of bird

The solitary cacique or solitary black cacique is a species of bird in the family Icteridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ochre-breasted tanager</span> Species of bird

The ochre-breasted tanager is a species of bird in the family Cardinalidae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. As a fairly common species with a stable population, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated this bird as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous wren</span> Species of bird

The rufous wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casqued cacique</span> Species of bird

The casqued cacique, formerly the casqued oropendola, is a species of bird in the family Icteridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-rumped bush tyrant</span> Species of bird

The red-rumped bush tyrant is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Velvet-fronted grackle</span> Species of bird

The velvet-fronted grackle is a species of bird in the family Icteridae, monotypic within the genus Lampropsar. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical swamps and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-tailed myiobius</span> Species of bird

The black-tailed myiobius or black-tailed flycatcher is a species of passerine bird in the family Tityridae. It was previously placed in the family Tyrannidae. Black-tailed flycatchers are found in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. Their natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest. They are usually found alone or in pairs, but may join flocks of several species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tawny-breasted myiobius</span> Species of bird

The tawny-breasted myiobius or tawny-breasted flycatcher is a species of passerine bird in the family Tityridae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barred fruiteater</span> Species of bird

The barred fruiteater is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae, found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The population is stable, and they are considered common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flame-faced tanager</span> Species of bird from South America

The flame-faced tanager is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is endemic to South America and is found in the eastern Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is a distinctive-looking species with black and opalescent green upperparts, opalescent green and buff underparts, and a deep red and yellow face. The subspecies lunigera lacks the deep red on the face, which is replaced with orangish-red.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plate-billed mountain toucan</span> Species of bird

The plate-billed mountain toucan is a species of bird in the family Ramphastidae. It is native to the west slope of Ecuador and extreme southern Colombia, where it lives in the high-altitude humid mountain forests of the Andes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2016). "Cacicus sclateri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22724054A94846793. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22724054A94846793.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Ridgely, Robert S.; Tudor, Guy (2009). Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America: The Passerines. University of Texas Press. p. 674. ISBN   978-0-292-71748-0.
  3. Fraga, R. "Ecuadorian Cacique (Cacicus sclateri)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Retrieved 22 July 2016.