Turpial Negro/Epaulet Oriole/Icterus cayanensis

Nombre en español: Turpial Negro

Nombre en inglés: Epaulet Oriole

Nombre científico: Icterus cayanensis

Familia: Icteridae

Canto: Andrew Spencer

El turpial boyerito o turpial de charretera (Icterus cayanensis), conocido en Venezuela como tordo de alas canela o turpial moriche, es una especie de ave paseriforme de la familia Icteridae propia de América del Sur.

Distribución y hábitat

Se encuentra en Bolivia, Brasil, Ecuador, Guayana Francesa, Guyana, Perú, Surinam y Venezuela. El hábitat de esta especie son las concentraciones de palma Mauritia flexuosa en terrenos pantanosos o inundables en áreas abiertas o de bosque, estando presente también en los bordes y el dosel del bosque húmedo tropical.

Descripción

Mide 20 cm de longitud. Plumaje negro brillante con una mancha castaña a anaranjada en el hombro. Pico fino y agudo. Cuerpo esbelto y cola larga.

Subespecies

El estudio genético ha permitido separar en dos clados las subespecies que eran incluidas en esta especie, el primero incluye dos subespecies que son las que realmente se incluyen ahora en Icterus cayanensis :

I. c. cayanensis (Linnaeus, 1766)
I. c. chrysocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Las otras cuatro forman un grupo monofilético, actualmente incluido en la especie Icterus pyrrhopterus

I. p. periporphyrus (Bonaparte, 1850)
I. p. pyrrhopterus (Vieillot, 1819)
I. p. tibialis Swainson, 1838
I. p. valenciobuenoi H. Ihering, 1902

Epaulet oriole

The epaulet oriole (Icterus cayanensis) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. The moriche oriole, formerly considered a distinct species (I. chrysocephalus) is now placed herein as a subspecies. The variable oriole, (I. pyrrhopterus), was formerly considered conspecific, but has recently been split by the SACC.

The epaulet oriole is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical swamps, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and heavily degraded former forest.

The Epaulet Oriole is widespread in South America, although there is much geographic variation. In the north of the range the Epaulet Oriole has a bright yellow shoulder patch, while in the south of the distribution the shoulder patch is dark chestnut, and some populations are somewhat intermediate in look. Furthermore the northern birds are known to hybridize with the Moriche Oriole (Icterus chrysocephalus). Recent evidence suggests that the yellow-shouldered birds are more closely related, and perhaps even conspecific with the Moriche Oriole; yet the southern dark-shouldered birds are different in their song, behavior, and that they may even be potentially sympatric with yellow-winged birds in parts of Bolivia. It is quite likely that the Epaulet Oriole will be divided soon, with southern birds having the name “Variable Oriole.” The “Variable Oriole” is a slim, dark, and unornamented oriole; it is the southernmost of all orioles. They are found in pairs and family groups in open forest and forest edge, often riparian (gallery) forests. They give a varied assortment of harsh calls, and more melodious songs, but also have the unusual behavior of mimicking raptors and other large birds.