From Opus

Icterus cayanensis

Photo of subspecies I. c. tibialis by Arthur Grosset
Photographed: Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil.

Photo most likely of subspecies I. c. valenciobuenoi by Pantanal1
Photographed: Cuiaba, Mato Grosso, Brazil.

[edit] Identification

Mostly black, the epaulet consisting of the upper wing-coverts. Some subspecies have a yellow epaulet and yellow thighs (e.g., I. c. tibialis) while other sub-species have an ochre-orange epaulet (see second photo).

[edit] Distribution

Most of South America.

[edit] Taxonomy

Polytypic, consists of six subspecies¹:

• I. c. chrysocephalus

• Eastern Colombia to Venezuela, Guianas, northern Brazil and north-eastern Peru; also Trinidad
• Bright yellow crown, rump, thighs and wing epaulets
• Has been recognised as a separate species (Moriche Oriole)².

• I. c. cayanensis

• Suriname to French Guiana, Amazonian Brazil, eastern Peru and eastern Bolivia

• I. c. tibialis

• Eastern Brazil

• I. c. valenciobuenoi

• South-eastern Brazil

• I. c. periporphyrus

• North-eastern Bolivia and adjacent western Brazil

• I. c. pyrrhopterus

• South-eastern Bolivia to Paraguay, south-eastern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina

[edit] Habitat

Woodland, thorny scrub and gardens.

[edit] Behaviour

The diet includes insects and nectar.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Sibley, CG and BL Monroe. 1996. Birds of the World, on diskette, Windows version 2.0. Charles G. Sibley, Santa Rosa, CA, USA.

1. Arthur Grosset

[edit] External Links