Jamaican Oriole
Icterus leucopteryx
A fruit-loving inhabitant of woodlands and gardens. Adult is yellow (often tinged green or orange), sports a black beard, and has very large white wing patches covering half of the otherwise black wing. Immatures look similar, but they have two broad white wingbars instead of a white patch. Immature male Orchard Oriole looks somewhat similar, but it is smaller and lacks the bold white wing markings seen on Jamaican Orioles. Songs include a rapid series of rich, whistled, and mostly down-slurred phrases and “cheat-you, cheat-you, cheat-you, cheat-you, cheat.”
Taxonomy
The species is more closely related to the orioles of the North American mainland, such as the Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula), and the orange oriole (Icterus auratus) than to the other Caribbean members of the genus.
- Scientific name
- Icterus leucopteryx
- Authority
- (Wagler, 1827)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Icteridae
- Genus
- Icterus
Range and habitat
It is found in Jamaica and on the Colombian island of San Andrés. The subspecies I. l. bairdi formerly occurred on Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands but is now extinct, making the species extirpated there. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Alpine Munia
Lonchura monticola
A small, little-known bird of alpine grasslands of southeastern New Guinea. Adult has thick, silver bill, black face, brown back, yellow rump, whitish chest and sides, black from under the tail, along the sides of the pale belly, meeting at the lower chest. Gray-headed Munia overlaps slightly in elevation and the 2 species have be seen together in flocks. Adults are distinctive but juveniles are similar. Voice, some buzzing call notes and a thin “sii-sii-sii” in flight.
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
Buoyant “river tern” with dramatically different breeding and non-breeding plumages. Breeding adult is wildly conspicuous in flight, with contrasting black-and-white plumage; at rest note white shoulders contrasting with black body. Non-breeding and younger birds are white with gray patches and black “earmuffs.” In areas of overlap, juvenile told from Black Tern by dark back contrasting with lighter upperwings and white rump and by black marking above the shoulder. Non-breeding Whiskered Tern can be similar, but has a faded, patchy dark crown instead of earmuffs. Commonly found in flocks around rivers, lakes, and wetlands, where it picks food from surface instead of splash-diving; generally not as closely associated with saltwater as many typical terns.
Jambandu Indigobird
Vidua raricola
A nest parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of Zebra Waxbills. Breeding males are glossy black with green or blue iridescence and a pale brownish panel in the wings. Females and non-breeding males are streaky and brown on the back and pale below, with a bold facial pattern. The bill is whitish and the legs very pale purplish. A scarce and poorly known species. Found in wetlands, moist grasslands, and cultivation. Given current knowledge, can only be confidently identified by vocalizations. Imitates the “svet” calls of its host, Zebra Waxbill, and often mixes them into a scratchy jumble of high-pitched notes.
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