| Hispaniolan oriole | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Icteridae |
| Genus: | Icterus |
| Species: | I. dominicensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Icterus dominicensis (Linnaeus, 1766) | |
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| Synonyms | |
Oriolus dominicensisLinnaeus, 1766 | |
The Hispaniolan oriole (Icterus dominicensis) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti).
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the Hispaniolan oriole in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected on the French colony of Saint-Domingue on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. He used the French name Le carouge de S. Domingue and the Latin name Xanthornus Dominicensis. [2] Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. [3] When the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition in 1766, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson, [3] with one of them being the Hispaniolan oriole. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Oriolus dominicensis and cited Brisson's work. [4] This species is now placed in the genus Icterus that was also introduced by Brisson. [5]
The Hispaniolan oriole was once identified as a distinct species. However, in 1936, American ornithologist James Bond grouped it, the Cuban oriole (Icterus melanopsis), the Bahama oriole (I. northropi), and the Puerto Rican oriole (I. portoricensis) into a single species according to the biological species concept in his book “Birds of the West Indies.” [6] The orioles used to be considered the Greater Antillean or black-cowled oriole group, but in 2010, the American Ornithologist' Union declared the four subspecies as full species. [7]
The Hispaniolan oriole is a slender-billed black and yellow oriole that lacks white markings on the wings. It shows more yellow than most Caribbean orioles, except for the Bahama oriole (Icterus northropi). The adult males and females are black overall, with distinctive yellow patches on shoulders, rump, and under-tail coverts extending to the lower breast. Like most tropical oriole species, the females are similar or identical to the males in coloring. [8] In juvenile Hispaniolan orioles, the upper parts are mainly olive, while the underparts are dull yellow. The wings are black, and the throat is sometimes a black or reddish-brown that is not clearly demarcated. The length of the Hispaniolan oriole is an average of 20–22 cm, with males weighing 35–38 g while the females weigh 33–40 g. [9] A similar species that is often mistaken for the Hispaniolan oriole is the yellow-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius xanthomus), which is a similar size but only has yellow patches on the shoulders. [10]
The call of the Hispaniolan oriole is described as a sharp keck or check. The song is rarely heard, and is a series of high-pitched whistles. [11] The song is usually given after dawn, but is almost never heard in the daytime, which is similar to the Puerto Rican oriole (Icterus portoricensis). [12] It is known that females of other oriole species sing, but songs by female Hispaniolan orioles have not been identified.
The Hispaniolan oriole is a year-round endemic to the island of Hispaniola (in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti), as well as the nearby islands of Gonâve, Saona, and Tortuga. It resides in tropical and subtropical forests, forest edges, woodlands, and gardens, from the coast to mid-elevations in mountains. However, it is not as common at higher elevations. They are commonly found where palm fronds are available for nesting, and are also found on the many shaded coffee plantations on the island. The Hispaniolan oriole seems to be rare in Hispaniolan pine ( Pinus occidentalis ) forests, in the highlands of the Dominican Republic; however, other species of orioles, such as the Bahama oriole, have been documented nesting in pine forests. [13] Since there has been no published population assessment, there is a possibility that the Hispaniolan oriole can be found nesting in pine forests.
The diet of the Hispaniolan oriole consists of fruits, insects, flowers, and nectar. They often consume the nectar of the Erythrina plant. [9] The orioles can hang upside-down to reach foods or insects on the underside of leaves. They are often found foraging in dense vegetation.
The Hispaniolan oriole's breeding season is from March to June, although it can breed irregularly at other times of the year. [14] The eggs are white, with a pale blue hue, and have dark brown spots. On average, the clutch size is 3 eggs. They usually make their nest on the underside of banana trees or palm fronds. The nest is a hanging basket made from finely woven plant fibers, mainly from palm leaves. When fledglings become fully independent, they undergo pre-basic molts. [9] Usually, the entire body plumage and wing-coverts are replaced.
The status of the Hispaniolan oriole is listed as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List. Although there have been no published population assessments, there are numerous observations of the oriole all throughout the island. [15] There is a possibility that the population could decline because of increased brood parasitism from the recently arrived shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis). [16] They have been described as the “highest quality” host for the cowbird on the island. [9]
The palmchat is a small, long-tailed passerine bird, the only species in the genus Dulus and the family Dulidae endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. It is related to the waxwings, family Bombycillidae. Its name reflects its strong association with palms for feeding, roosting, and nesting.
The Baltimore oriole is a small icterid blackbird common in eastern North America as a migratory breeding bird. It received its name from the resemblance of the male's colors to those on the coat-of-arms of 17th-century Lord Baltimore. Observations of interbreeding between the Baltimore oriole and the western Bullock's oriole Icterus bullockii, led to both being classified as a single species, called the northern oriole, from 1973 to 1995. Research by James Rising, a professor of zoology at the University of Toronto, and others showed that the two birds actually did not interbreed significantly.
New World orioles are a group of birds in the genus Icterus of the blackbird family. Unrelated to Old World orioles of the family Oriolidae, they are strikingly similar in size, diet, behavior, and strongly contrasting plumage. As a result, the two have been given the same vernacular name.
The Jamaican crow is a comparatively small corvid. It shares several key morphological features with two other West Indian species, the Cuban crow and the white-necked crow of Hispaniola, which are very closely related to it.
The Caribbean martin or white-bellied martin is a large swallow.
The gray kingbird or grey kingbird, also known as pitirre, petchary or white-breasted kingbird, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatchers family Tyrannidae. The species was first described on the island of Hispaniola, then called Santo Domingo, thus the dominicensis name.
The black-naped oriole is a passerine bird in the oriole family that is found in many parts of Asia. There are several distinctive populations within the wide distribution range of this species and in the past the slender-billed oriole was included as a subspecies. Unlike the Indian golden oriole which only has a short and narrow eye-stripe, the black-naped oriole has the stripe broadening and joining at the back of the neck. Males and females are very similar although the wing lining of the female is more greenish. The bill is pink and is stouter than in the golden oriole.
The yellow-faced grassquit is a passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae and is the only member of the genus Tiaris. It is native to the Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
The Montserrat oriole is a medium-sized black-and-yellow icterid.
The golden swallow is a swallow endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and was once native to Jamaica, but is now extirpated there. It is restricted to isolated montane forests that primarily consist of the Hispaniolan pine. This species is considered to be a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The exact cause of its extirpation from Jamaica is unknown, but likely factors include predation by introduced mammals and habitat loss, although the habitat loss theory is not supported by much evidence. The last sighting of the nominate subspecies was in Hardwar Gap, with three birds being seen on 8 June 1989.
The Hispaniolan mango is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
The vervain hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found on Hispaniola and Jamaica.
The Madagascar blue pigeon or Madagascan blue pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. The species is closely related to the other two extant species of blue pigeon, the Comoros blue pigeon and the Seychelles blue pigeon. It is endemic to northern and eastern Madagascar.
The Caribbean elaenia is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae found in the West Indies and parts of Central America. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and heavily degraded former forest.
The oriole blackbird is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. Its genus, Gymnomystax, is monotypic. It is a medium-sized yellow and black bird found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, and swamps.
The black-crowned palm-tanager or black-crowned tanager is a species of bird of the family Phaenicophilidae, the Hispaniolan palm-tanagers. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The Hispaniolan spindalis is one of four species of bird in family Spindalidae. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The Cuban oriole is a species of songbird in the family Icteridae. It is endemic to Cuba.
The Bahama oriole is a species of songbird in the New World blackbird family Icteridae. It is endemic to the Bahamas, and listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List.
The Puerto Rican oriole, or calandria is a species of bird in the family Icteridae, and genus Icterus or New World blackbirds. This species is a part of a subgroup of orioles that includes the North American orchard oriole, Icterus spurius, and the hooded oriole, Icterus cucullatus.
