| Nicaraguan grackle | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Icteridae |
| Genus: | Quiscalus |
| Species: | Q. nicaraguensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Quiscalus nicaraguensis | |
The Nicaraguan grackle (Quiscalus nicaraguensis) is a species of passerine bird belonging to the genus Quiscalus , a genus of grackles in the New World blackbird family, Icteridae. It is found only in Nicaragua and northernmost Costa Rica.
It is a medium-sized bird with a long, graduated tail and fairly long bill and legs. The bill and legs are black and the eye is pale yellow. The male is about 31 cm long while the female is 25 cm. The adult male's plumage is entirely black with an iridescent gloss. The gloss is violet on the belly and tail, violet-green on the head, back, and breast, and blue-green on most of the wings. The tail of the male is V-shaped, rising from the centre to the outer feathers. Immature males are duller and less glossy than the adults, with a brown belly and thighs. The female is brown above with a pale supercilium (the stripe over the eye), made more obvious by the dark lores and ear coverts. The thighs, flanks, and undertail coverts are dark brown, while the rest of the underparts are buff, darkest on the upper breast, and paler on the throat and belly.
The similar great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) overlaps with it in range, but is larger, with a longer tail and larger bill. The male has a less green gloss than the Nicaraguan grackle, while the female is darker below and has a less obvious supercilium.
The Nicaraguan grackle has a variety of calls, including a frequent nasal call, various whistling notes, and a sharp, rising whine. The song is a series of whistles, which increase in speed and frequency.
It is restricted to western Nicaragua and northern Costa Rica. It mainly occurs in the vicinity of Lake Nicaragua and Lake Managua, but its range has expanded a little due to the clearance of forest and creation of pastures by man. It may be a fairly recent arrival in Costa Rica, where it is found in the Caño Negro area along the Río Frio. It is not migratory, but makes some local movements in response to seasons and changes in water level.
It nests only in marshland, but forages in scrubland, wet pastures, and along lake shores and riverbanks.
It feeds in small groups, foraging on the ground for seeds and insects. It turns over stones or debris to look for food underneath, and often forages on or around cattle.
It nests in small colonies in bushes or trees or among marsh vegetation such as sedges. The well-hidden nest is cup-shaped and made from grass and sedge leaves and roots. Two or three eggs are laid; they are blue with dark markings concentrated at the larger end. Only the female incubates the eggs, but both sexes are involved in feeding the young.
The common grackle is a large icterid found in large numbers through much of North America. First described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, the common grackle has three subspecies. Adult common grackles have a long and dark bill, pale yellow eyes, and a long tail. Adults often have an iridescent appearance on their head, especially males. Common grackles are found in much of North America east of the Rocky Mountains.
The boat-tailed grackle is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found as a permanent resident on the coasts of the Southeastern United States.
The Carib grackle is a New World tropical blackbird, a resident breeder in the Lesser Antilles and northern South America east of the Andes, from Colombia east to Venezuela and northeastern Brazil. There are eight subspecies, of which the most widespread is the nominate subspecies of Trinidad and the South American mainland. This subspecies was introduced to Tobago in 1905 and is now common there.
The great-tailed grackle or Mexican grackle is a medium-sized, highly social passerine bird native to North and South America. A member of the family Icteridae, it is one of 10 extant species of grackle and is closely related to the boat-tailed grackle and the extinct slender-billed grackle. In the southern United States, it is sometimes simply referred to as "blackbird" or (erroneously) "crow" due to its glossy black plumage, and similarly it is often called cuervo ("raven") in some parts of Mexico, although it is not a member of the crow genus Corvus, nor even of the family Corvidae.
The red-breasted meadowlark is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It was formerly named red-breasted blackbird but is not closely related to the red-winged blackbird group.
The white-browed meadowlark is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It was formerly named white-browed blackbird but is not closely related to the red-winged blackbird group.
The purple-throated mountaingem is a species of hummingbird in tribe Lampornithini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The yellow-bellied siskin is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds from Costa Rica south to southern Ecuador, central Bolivia and the highlands of northwestern Venezuela.
The black-thighed grosbeak is a large seed-eating bird in the cardinal family, which is endemic to the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama.
The garden emerald is a small hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.
Grackles is the common name of any of 11 passerine birds native to North and South America. They belong to various genera in the icterid family. In all the species with this name, adult males have black or mostly black plumage. Baby birds like to feed by screeching.
The dot-winged antwren is a passerine bird in the antbird family. In the past it was sometimes known as the velvety antwren, and some of its more distinctive subspecies have their own infrequently used English names. It is a resident in tropical Central and South America from southeastern Mexico south to western Ecuador, northern Bolivia, central Brazil and the Guianas. It is the only member of the genus Microrhopias.
The yellow-thighed brushfinch is a passerine bird which is endemic to the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama. Despite its name, it is not a true finch, but rather a member of the family Passerellidae, which also includes American sparrows, juncos and towhees.
The blue-throated goldentail, also known as the blue-throated sapphire, is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and heavily degraded former forest.
The black-crested coquette is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The yellow-throated euphonia is a species of songbird in the family Fringillidae. It is found in southeastern Mexico and throughout Central America with its range stretching from Belize south to western Panama. It inhabits primarily both humid and dry regions where it prefers the forest edge, open woodland, and shaded plantations. It has two subspecies, the nominate subspecies Euphonia hirundinaceahirundinacea and Euphonia hirundinacea gnatho. This finch is a small bird with pointed wings and a short bill and short tail. Males of this species have dark glossy blue-black upperparts excluding a yellow forecrown, and bright yellow underparts, while females have olive green upperparts and whitish-gray breast and lower parts. It has a shrill song that alternates between high-pitched and moderately pitched and appears to be able to mimic some calls of other birds.
The white-lored gnatcatcher is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Cabanis's wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The spot-bellied bobwhite is a ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the crested bobwhite, Colinus cristatus. As the latter species expands north into Costa Rica, it is likely that the two species will overlap in range in the future, but the Costa Rican subspecies of the spot-bellied is the least similar to the crested.
The Talamanca hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.
Media related to Quiscalus nicaraguensis at Wikimedia Commons
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