Yellow-rumped Cacique
Cacicus cela
Common blackbird relative found in canopy of lowland forest and edges from Panama to Brazil. Mostly black with bright yellow rump, undertail, and wing patches. Sexes similar. Pale bill is long and pointed; eye is pale blue. Unmistakable in range: the only lowland cacique with extensive yellow plumage. Like many of its relatives, makes a huge variety of calls. Nests colonially, building hanging pouch-shaped nests.
Identification
The male is on average 28 centimetres (11 in) long and weighs about 104 grams (3.7 oz), with the female 23 centimetres (9.1 in) long and weighing approximately 60 grams (2.1 oz). The yellow-rumped cacique is a slim bird, with a long tail, blue eyes, and a pale yellow pointed bill. It has mainly black plumage, apart from a bright yellow rump, tail base, lower belly and wing "epaulets". The female is duller black than the male, and the juvenile bird resembles the female, but has dark eyes and a brown bill base.<p>The song of the male yellow-rumped cacique is a brilliant mixture of fluting notes with cackles, wheezes and sometimes mimicry. There are also many varied calls, and an active colony can be heard from a considerable distance.
Taxonomy
The yellow-rumped cacique was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Parus cela. Why Linnaeus picked this specific epithet is uncertain but it may be shorthand for the Ancient Greek kelainos meaning "black". Linnaeus mistakenly specified the Habitat as in Indiis (India). The type location was designated as Suriname by the Austrian ornithologist Carl Eduard Hellmayr in 1906. The yellow-rumped cacique is now placed in the genus Cacique that was introduced by the Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799.<p>Three subspecies are recognised:<p>The first two subspecies may be a separate species, the saffron-rumped cacique.
- Scientific name
- Cacicus cela
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Icteridae
- Genus
- Cacicus
Range and habitat
The yellow-rumped cacique is a bird associated with open woodland or cultivation with large trees.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
This gregarious bird eats large insects (such as beetles, caterpillars, crickets, grasshoppers and katydids), spiders (such as orb-weavers), nectar and fruit (such as chupa-chupa and figs).<p>It is a colonial breeder, with up to 100 bag-shaped nests in a tree, which usually also contains an active wasp nest. The females build the nests, incubate, and care for the young. Each nest is 30–45 cm long and widens at the base, and is suspended from the end of a branch. Females compete for the best sites near the protection of the wasp nest. The normal clutch is two dark-blotched pale blue or white eggs. Females begin incubating after laying the second egg; hatching occurs after 13 or 14 days. The young fledge in 34 to 40 days, usually only one per nest.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Malagasy Brush-Warbler
Nesillas typica
Medium-sized brown bird with a long, spiky tail. Found in a wide variety of moist and woody habitats, including rainforest, wet scrub, plantations, and gardens. Absent or very local in much of west and southwest Madagascar. Skulks in thick undergrowth. Incessantly given call is a Geiger counter-like ticking. Darker brown than Subdesert Brush-Warbler, with a lower-pitched call and little overlap in range. Similar to Madagascar Swamp-Warbler, but has less distinct breast streaking and white eyebrow, and is generally found in scrub rather than marsh.
Violet Crow
Corvus violaceus
An entirely blackish short-tailed crow. Has a subtle purplish sheen that is visible in only certain lighting conditions. Juveniles lack purple gloss. Inhabits forest, edge, and plantations in the lowlands and foothills. Singles, pairs, or small groups can be found in the canopy. Recently described from Seram, and perhaps also occurs on Ambon and Buru. Unmistakable, being the only crow on these islands. Gives an odd call for a crow: a nasal, trumpeting “errr.” Gives more crow-like sounds too, but higher-pitched than many sounds of the family, including a high-pitched, guttural “kreh-kreh…”.
Rusty Whistler
Pachycephala hyperythra
A medium-sized bird of foothill forest midstory. Brown back, pale cinnamon belly, gray head and white throat. Similar to Little Shrikethrush, but Rusty Whistler is smaller and usually has a contrasting white throat. Often found in pairs foraging for insects. A vocal species with a typical whistler array of notes, including various warbles and a ringing, high-pitch note, often followed by a downward “chew chew!” or a sharp upward “wik wik!”.
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