Baudo Oropendola
Psarocolius cassini
This impressively large and colorful oropendola is found only in lowland and foothill rainforest in northwestern Colombia. Its salmon-colored cheek patches along with chestnut back and belly distinguish it from Black Oropendola; also note the yellow tail and orange bill tip. Male is larger than female. Usually seen in canopy of fruiting trees in clearings and at forest edge. Song is a rising gurgle that ends in a squeak, and also gives raspy “chuck” calls.
Identification
The male Baudó oropendola is about 46.5 cm (18.3 in) in length and the female is slightly smaller at 40 cm (15.7 in). This bird is similar in appearance to the black oropendola (Psarocolius guatimozinus), being largely black with chestnut-brown upper parts, but the patches of bare skin on the cheeks are pink, the mantle and wings are more rufous-brown and the flanks are rather more chestnut.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Psarocolius cassini
- Authority
- (Richmond, 1898)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Icteridae
- Genus
- Psarocolius
Range and habitat
This species is endemic to a small area around los Saltos and de Baudó, in the Chocó Department of north-west Colombia, an area of occupancy of about 4,570 km2 (1,764 sq mi). The bird has only been observed in a few isolated locations in river valleys at the edge of humid rainforests, but more recently birds have been sighted in the river valleys of the Rio Siviru and Rio Tipicay near Bajo Baudó, and a location has been found on the coastal plain with sixty inactive nests suspended from Bactris gasipaes palms and Guazuma ulmifolia trees in secondary growth between a banana plantation and the edge of the mature forest.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Green-and-gold Tanager
Tangara schrankii
Small green tanager of lowland rainforest. Looks mostly green with a black mask and yellow belly. Sexes alike. One of the most common mature forest tanagers and a regular member of mixed-species flocks. Regularly seen both high in the canopy and lower inside the forest understory.
Spot-breasted Antvireo
Dysithamnus stictothorax
Big-headed chunky antbird with a heavy and slightly hooked bill and shortish tail. Found in the lower and middle levels of forests and forest edges. Males have a gray head and and a white spotted face and are olive-brown above and yellowish below.They have dark spots on the throat, and white spots on the wings coverts. Females have a rufous crown and less distinct spots on the wings coverts. The song is a melodious series of ascending and descending notes.
Grandala
Grandala coelicolor
Often seen swirling in flocks above mountain passes, scrubby alpine forests, and highland meadows, this large thrush is unlike any other. Adult male is a deep, almost eye-searing blue with jet-black wings. Females and immatures are brown with white streaks all over the head and underparts and weak white bars on the wings. Long-billed and sharp-winged profile, along with flocking behavior, is more reminiscent of starlings than thrushes.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.