Crested Oropendola
Psarocolius decumanus
Large blackbird with thick triangular bill. Dark blackish plumage, fading to paler reddish-brown at rear. At a distance, appears all black. Striking yellow tail and pale blue eye. Separated from other oropendolas by combination of large size and dark color. Often found in loose flocks anywhere with some trees, including forests, edges, and even disturbed open habitats. Oropendolas are colonial nesters that build hanging woven nests. Listen for bizarre gurgling noises.
Identification
Adult males are mainly black with a chestnut rump and a tail which is bright yellow apart from two dark central feathers. There is a long narrow crest which is often difficult to see. The iris is blue and the long bill is whitish. Females are similar but smaller, duller, and crestless.
Taxonomy
There are four subspecies:
- Scientific name
- Psarocolius decumanus
- Authority
- (Pallas, 1769)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Icteridae
- Genus
- Psarocolius
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The crested oropendola inhabits forest edges and clearings. It is a colonial breeder which builds a hanging woven nest, more than 125 cm long, high in a tree. It lays two blotched blue-grey eggs which hatch in 15–19 days, with another 24–36 days to fledging.<p>Each colony has a dominant male, which mates with most of the females following an elaborate bowing display. There may be 15-30 females and only 3-4 males. Outside the breeding season, this species is quite mobile, with some seasonal movements.<p>The distinctive songs of the male include a descending call reminiscent of sliding one's hand on a piano. Both sexes have a loud clack call.<p>The crested oropendola is a host of the Acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Apororhynchus aculeatus.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Emberiza impetuani
A dull, nondescript, slender buffy bunting. Subtle features include a rusty wing panel, a pale spot near the ear, a buffy eyebrow, and a small pale silvery bill. Pairs can be low-density residents, but typically the species is nomadic, and large flocks irrupt into the semi-arid Karoo, Kalahari, and Namib after rainfall events; but it may reach savanna and other atypical habitats, particularly in drier years. It prefers areas with bare stony soil and often is found close to pools of drinking water. The song is a short series of varied scratchy trills, but the distinctive flight call is short, dry, crisp one-note “tec” which often betrays its presence. It often flocks with other seedeaters, lacking the black belly patch of the otherwise similar female sparrow-larks.
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