The Selva cacique (''Cacicus koepckeae'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the family

Icteridae Icterids () or New World blackbirds make up a family, the Icteridae (), of small to medium-sized, often colorful, New World passerine birds. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange, or red. The ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

where its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s. It is an uncommon and elusive bird and is threatened by

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

; the population is thought to be declining rapidly and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed the bird's conservation status as being "

Near Threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...

Description

The Selva cacique is entirely black except for a distinctive yellow rump and yellow upper-tail coverts. It is a slender long-tailed bird with a total length of about . The beak and irises are bluish-white while the legs are dark.

Distribution and habitat

The Selva cacique is

to eastern Peru where it is found in the regions of

Ucayali The Ucayali River ( es, Río Ucayali, ) is the main headstream of the Amazon River. It rises about north of Lake Titicaca, in the Arequipa region of Peru and becomes the Amazon at the confluence of the Marañón close to Nauta city. The city o ...

Cusco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the list of cities in Peru, seventh m ...

and Madre de Dios, and the adjoining

Acre State Acre () is a state located in the west of the North Region of Brazil and the Amazonia Legal. Located in the westernmost part of the country, at a two-hour time difference from Brasília, Acre is bordered clockwise by the Brazilian states of Am ...

in northwestern Brazil. It typically inhabits dense riverside vegetation in forested areas near small rivers and streams, in lowland areas and low foothills at elevations between .

Ecology

The Selva cacique has been little studied but its behaviour is thought to be similar to that of the

Ecuadorian cacique The Ecuadorian cacique (''Cacicus sclateri'') is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. A fairly common bird with a wide r ...

(''Cacicus sclateri''). It may move through the forest alone or in pairs, or it may do so as part of a small group. Six birds were seen bathing and drinking together by one observer. The birds forage through the canopy and have been observed probing into clumps of seedpods, perhaps for insects, while not feeding in nearby fruit-laden trees.

Status

The lowland rainforest is being steadily reduced in area as it is cleared for agricultural purposes, and this bird's numbers are also thought to be decreasing. It was never a common bird and is becoming more localised, and the

estimates there may be between 2,500 and 10,000 mature individuals in total. However, the remoteness of its habitat means it is at a lower risk than other species. The conservation status of this bird has therefore been assessed as "

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1301498 Cacicus Birds of the Peruvian Amazon Endemic birds of Peru Birds described in 1965 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot