Greater Antillean Grackle
Quiscalus niger
A gregarious, noisy inhabitant of many habitats, except dense woodlands; often near human habitation. Adults are clothed in glossy black, have a white eye, very long keel-shaped tail; youngsters are dull brownish in plumage, darker eyed and have a shorter tail. Only the Smooth-billed Ani is similar in color, size, and proportions, but its beak is much heftier than that of the Greater Antillean Grackle. Cuban Blackbird shares color and size, but has a shorter tail without a keel, and a dark eye. Vocalizations are varied but most have a “squeaking rusty hinge” quality; also gives a harsh “chack.”
识别特征
The 27 cm (11 in)-long male is glossy black with a large rudder-like tail; the 24 cm (9.4 in)-long female has a smaller tail and is similar in color, but less glossy than the male. The eye is yellow and is the only non-black body part.The Greater Antillean grackle is a generalist eater; it eats fruits, bread, plant matter, and both small vertebrates and invertebrates alike.
分类信息
The Irish physician, naturalist and collector Hans Sloane stayed in Jamaica between 1687 and 1689. During his visit, he collected specimens and made notes on the plants and animals. Based on these notes, the ornithologist John Ray published a short description of the Greater Antillean grackle in 1713, using the Latin name Monedula tota nigra but it was not until 1725, more than 35 years after his visit, that Sloane himself published a description of the grackle. He reported that it was common on the road between St. Jago de la Vega (Spanish Town) and Passage-Fort (Portmore).<p>In 1775 the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon described the Greater Antillean grackle in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Oriolus niger in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. Buffon's specimen was probably collected in the French colony of Saint-Domingue which occupied the western end of Hispaniola (what is now Haiti). In 1921 the American ornithologist James L. Peters restricted the type locality to Port-au-Prince in Haiti.<p>The Greater Antillean grackle is now one of seven species placed in the genus Quiscalus (six extant and one extinct), that was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816. The genus name is from the specific name Gracula quiscula coined by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus for the common grackle; the specific niger is Latin for "black".<p>There are seven subspecies, each restricted to one island or island group. They differ in body size, bill size, and colour tone.
- 学名
- Quiscalus niger
- 命名信息
- (Boddaert, 1783)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Icteridae
- 属
- Quiscalus
分布与栖息地
- 迁徙
- Resident species
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- stable
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Red-billed Brushturkey
Talegalla cuvieri
A large, black ground bird of lowland and foothill forests. Red-orange bill, yellowish head, yellow eye and orange legs. Co-occurs with Wattled Brushturkey on Misool Island but Red-billed occurs at lower elevations and has orange legs. Similar to Yellow-legged Brushturkey but Red-billed is usually higher and lacks the bright yellow legs. Much more often heard than seen. The voice is loud, raucous, 3-note “wok-wak! wak!” with the first note lower and a gap between the second and third notes.
Coiba Spinetail
Cranioleuca dissita
Lives only on Coiba Island off the Pacific coast of Panama, where identification should not be an issue. Look for rusty upperparts and tail, buffy underparts, and pale buffy eyebrow. Occurs in wooded areas with dense vine tangles and thickets, often in pairs. Listen for excited sputtering chatters.
Pale-billed Sicklebill
Drepanornis bruijnii
A large, long-billed bird of lowland forest. Brown upperparts with black head and grayish facial skin behind the eye. Note the curved, pale bill. Male has a black throat, sides and two small, hornlike tufts on the head. Female has pale underparts with dark barring. Similar to female Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise and Magnificent Riflebird, but female Pale-billed Sicklebill has a longer, thinner, more curved bill. One of several vocalizations, a descending series of low whistles, reminiscent of Common Potoo.
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