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
Square-tailed Nightjar
Caprimulgus fossii
Medium-sized, typical nightjar with bold pale spots on the back. Both sexes have a broad pale patch on the outer tail that is white in males and buff in females. Found in a variety of woodland and savanna habitats that are usually moist and often near water. Song is an extraordinarily long, dry trill that changes in speed and pitch. Most similar to Swamp Nightjar, but has smaller pale patches in the outer tail and lacks a blackish cheek; male has a white trailing edge to the wing in flight. Also similar to Montane Nightjar but found in different habitat.
White-necked Jacobin
Florisuga mellivora
Rather large, spectacular hummingbird of humid tropical lowlands that favors forest edges, adjacent clearings with scattered trees and flowering bushes, and gardens. Feeds at all levels, often in the canopy, hovering with its tail cocked and occasionally opening it to show extensive white. Male has deep blue hood, green upperparts with white collar (often hard to see), white underparts, and mostly white tail. Some females look similar to males while others look very different, with dark spotting below and a mostly green tail with white tips.
West Solomons Owl
Athene jacquinoti
A rather small orange-eyed owl with lightly spotted brown upperparts and paler underparts. Prefers well-developed forest, mainly in lowlands, but up to 1500 meters of elevation. Unlikely to overlap in range with any similar species. Vocal range poorly known, but a series of monotone “poop” or “chong” notes is regularly reported. Found from Bougainville, Buka, and Choiseul in the north to Florida Island in the south. Formerly lumped with Guadalcanal, Malaita, and Makira Owls under the name “Solomons Boobook.”
开始您的观鸟之旅
在户外识别鸟类，并在下一次观察时随手查阅鸟类图鉴。