Austral Blackbird
Curaeus curaeus
Distinctive but understated, this wholly glossy blackbird with a rather long, sharply pointed bill occurs in a wide range of mainly open habitats, from town parks and farmland with hedges and bushes to mattorral scrub and open forest. Feeds on the ground, at flowers, and in trees on fruit, often in small flocks. Voice is highly varied, sometimes loud, and can draw attention. Fairly common in central Chile, becoming uncommon farther south and in Argentina. Compare with cowbirds, which are smaller with shorter bills.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Curaeus curaeus
- Authority
- (Molina, 1782)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Icteridae
- Genus
- Curaeus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Greater Yellow-headed Vulture
Cathartes melambrotus
Widespread and common vulture in lowland rainforest. Head may not appear yellow unless seen at close range. Best identified by steady flight with wings held at a slight dihedral. Similar to Turkey Vulture, but has broader wings which it holds flatter and does not teeter from side to side as often. Occurs in rainforest, cities, and agricultural areas.
Ochre-headed Flycatcher
Myiagra cervinicauda
A small flycatcher. Male is glossy blue-black with a white belly and base of the undertail. Female has a gray head, a deep rufous throat and chest, and a cinnamon back and belly. Common in native forest up to 700 meters of elevation, less common in degraded habitats. Voice is a rasping, repeated “zhay-zhay-zhay.”
Sharp-tailed Starling
Lamprotornis acuticaudus
Iridescent green, slim-looking glossy starling. The eye is red in males and orange in females. Although the wedge-shaped tail is distinctive when clearly seen, it’s often not obvious in the field. Uncommon and local in miombo and Zambezi teak broadleaf woodland. Usually in small flocks. The song is a chattering jumble, and the call is an upslurred “sweeit.” Can look very similar to other glossy starlings, but separated by the wedge-shaped tail, the more elongated overall shape, and the lack of purple or blue in the plumage.
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