Icteridae
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Icteridae
Icterids () or New World blackbirds make up a family, the Icteridae (), of small to medium-sized, often colorful, New World passerine birds. The family contains 108 species and is divided into 30 genera. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange, or red. The species in the family vary widely in size, shape, behavior, and coloration. Etymology The name, meaning "jaundiced ones" (from the prominent yellow feathers of many species) comes from the - ''íkteros'' via the . Relationship to other species This group includes the New World blackbirds, New World orioles, the bobolink, meadowlarks, Quiscalus, grackles, cowbirds, oropendolas, and cacique (bird), caciques. Despite the similar names, the first groups are only distantly related to the Old World common blackbird (a thrush (bird), thrush) or to the Old World orioles. The Icteridae are not to be confused with the Icteriidae, a family created in 2017 and consisting of one specie ...
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Yellow-breasted Chat
The yellow-breasted chat (''Icteria virens'') is a large songbird found in America, and is the only member of the family Icteriidae. It was once a member of the New World warbler family Parulidae, but in 2017, the American Ornithological Society moved it to its own family. Its placement is not definitively resolved. Taxonomy The yellow-breasted chat was Species description, formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with the thrushes in the genus ''Turdus'', coined the binomial name ''Turdus virens'', and specified the type locality (biology), type locality as "America". The specific epithet is Latin meaning "green". The locality has been restricted to South Carolina. Linnaeus based his account on the "yellow brested chat" that had been described and illustrated by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in his book ''The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and ...
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Great-tailed Grackle
The great-tailed grackle or Mexican grackle (''Quiscalus mexicanus'') is a medium-sized, Social animal, highly social passerine bird native to North America, North and South America. A member of the Family (biology), family Icteridae, it is one of 10 Extant taxon, extant species of grackle and is closely related to the boat-tailed grackle and the extinct slender-billed grackle. In the southern United States, southern and southwestern United States, the grackle is sometimes referred to simply as a "blackbird" or (erroneously) a "crow" due to its glossy black plumage; however, grackles form their own unique genus that is separate from other "blackbirds", such as the red-winged blackbird, red-winged and Brewer's blackbirds, despite being in the same Family (taxonomy), family (Icteridae). Superficially, Brewer's blackbird is one of the most visually similar species to grackles. In some parts of Mexico, the grackle is sometimes referred to in Spanish language, Spanish as ("raven"; "c ...
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Cacique (bird)
The caciques are passerine birds in the New World blackbird family which are resident breeders in tropical South America north to Mexico. All of the group are in currently placed in the genus ''Cacicus'', except the aberrant yellow-billed cacique (''Amblycercus holosericeus''), and the Mexican cacique (''Cassiculus melanicterus'') which constitute respective monotypic genera. Judging from mitochondrial DNA cytochrome ''b'' and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 sequence (Price & Lanyon 2002), the aberrant oropendolas band-tailed oropendola (''Ocyalus latirostris'') and casqued oropendola, ''Psarocolius oseryi'' (''Ocyalus oseryi''?) seem to be closer to the caciques. The caciques are birds associated with woodland or forest. Most are colonial breeders, with several long, hanging, bag-shaped nests in a tree, each suspended from the end of a branch. Some species choose a tree that also contains an active wasp nest (such as ''Polybia rejecta'') as a deterrent to predators (e.g. t ...
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Passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their toes (three pointing forward and one back), which facilitates perching. With more than 140 families and some 6,500 identified species, Passeriformes is the largest order of birds and one of the most diverse clades of terrestrial vertebrates, representing 60% of birds.Ericson, P.G.P. et al. (2003Evolution, biogeography, and patterns of diversification in passerine birds ''J. Avian Biol'', 34:3–15.Selvatti, A.P. et al. (2015"A Paleogene origin for crown passerines and the diversification of the Oscines in the New World" ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'', 88:1–15. Passerines are divided into three suborders: New Zealand wrens; Suboscines, primarily found in North and South America; and songbirds. Passerines originated in the ...
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Red-winged Blackbird
The red-winged blackbird (''Agelaius phoeniceus'') is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North America and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Guatemala, with isolated populations in western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras, and northwestern Costa Rica. It may winter as far north as Pennsylvania and British Columbia, but northern populations are generally migratory, moving south to Mexico and the Southern United States. Claims have been made that it is the most abundant living land bird in North America, as bird-counting censuses of wintering red-winged blackbirds sometimes show that loose flocks can number in excess of a million birds per flock and the full number of breeding pairs across North and Central America may exceed 250 million in peak years. It also ranks among the best-studied wild bird species in the world. The red-winged blackbird is sexually dimorphic; the male i ...
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Quiscalus
The Bird, avian genus ''Quiscalus'' contains seven of the 11 species of grackles, gregarious passerine birds in the icterid family. They are native to North America, North and South America. The genus was named and described by French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816. The type species was subsequently designated as the common grackle (''Quiscalus quiscula'') by English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1840. The genus name comes from the specific name ''Gracula quiscula'' coined by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus for the common grackle. From where Linnaeus obtained the word is uncertain, but it may come from the Taíno language, Taíno word ''quisqueya'', meaning "mother of all lands", for the island of Hispaniola. The genus contains six extant species and one extinct species: References External links Quiscalus videos, photos and sounds
on the Internet Bird Collection Quiscalus, Bird genera Taxa named by Louis Pierre Vieillot {{Icteridae-stub ...
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Orchard Oriole
The orchard oriole (''Icterus spurius'') is the smallest species of icterid. The subspecies of the Caribbean coast of Mexico, ''I. s. fuertesi'', is sometimes considered a separate species, the ochre oriole or Fuertes's oriole. The orchard oriole is a small bird with a length of 5.9-7.1 inches, a weight of 0.6-1.0 ounces, and a wingspan of 9.8 inches. Adult males have chestnut or ochre underparts, while adult females and juveniles have olive-green upper parts and yellowish breasts and bellies. They inhabit semi-open areas with deciduous trees in eastern North America, southern Tamaulipas, and Veracruz. Their winter range extends from central Sinaloa and southern Veracruz to northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela. Orchard orioles prefer living near lakes and streams, nesting in tightly woven pouches attached to horizontal tree branches. They are nocturnal migrants and feed on insects, spiders, fruit, nectar, and seeds depending on the season. During flight, they usually swo ...
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Oropendola
Oropendolas are a genus of passerine birds, ''Psarocolius'', in the New World blackbird family Icteridae. They were formerly split among two or three different genera and are found in Central and South America. All the oropendolas are large birds with pointed bills, and long tails which are always at least partially bright yellow. Males are usually larger than females. The plumage is typically chestnut, dark brown or black, although the Green oropendola and olive oropendola have, as their names imply, an olive coloration to the head, breast and upper back. The legs are dark, but the bill is usually a strikingly contrasting feature, either pale yellow, or red-tipped with a green or black base. In several species there is also a blue or pink bare cheek patch. Oropendolas are birds associated with forests or, for a few species, more open woodland. They are colonial breeders, with several long woven basket nests in a tree, each hanging from the end of a branch. These gregarious bir ...
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Cowbird
Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus ''Molothrus'' in the family Icteridae. They are of New World origin, but some species not native to North America are invasive there, and are obligate brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other species. The genus was introduced by English naturalist William Swainson in 1832 with the brown-headed cowbird (''Molothrus ater'') as the type species. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek , meaning "struggle" or "battle", with , meaning "to sire" or "to impregnate". The English name "cowbird", first recorded in 1839, refers to this species often being seen near cattle. Species The genus contains six species: One extinct species, '' Molothrus resinosus'', is known from fossil remains recovered from the Talara Tar Seeps of northwestern Peru, and likely went extinct during the late Quaternary. It may have been a close associate of Pleistocene megafauna communities, and may have gone extinct following their colla ...
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Bobolink
The bobolink (''Dolichonyx oryzivorus'') is a small New World blackbird and the only member of the genus ''Dolichonyx''. An old name for this species is the "rice bird", from its tendency to feed on cultivated grains during winter and migration. The bobolink breeds in the summer in the United States and Canada, with most of the summer range in the northern U.S. Bobolinks winter in southern South America, primarily Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia. Bobolink numbers are rapidly declining due to factors such as agricultural intensification and habitat loss; they are considered threatened in Canada, and are at risk throughout their range. Taxonomy The bobolink was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with the finches in the genus '' Fringilla'' and coined the binomial name ''Fringilla oryzivora''. Linnaeus mainly based his account on "The Rice-Bird" that had been described and illustrated in ...
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Bullock's Oriole
Bullock's oriole (''Icterus bullockiorum'') is a small icterid, New World blackbird. At one time, this species and the Baltimore oriole were considered to be a single species, the northern oriole. This bird is named after William Bullock (collector), William Bullock, an England, English amateur naturalist. Description Bullock's orioles are sexual dimorphism, sexually dimorphic, with males being more brightly colored than females. In addition, adult males tend to be slightly larger and heavier than females. Measurements: * Length: * Weight: * Wingspan: Adults have a pointed bill with a straight Beak#Culmen, culmen. In adult males, the tail is long, square, and jet black. All exposed skin is black, as are the claws and bill, though the base of the lower mandible lightens to bluish-gray. Adult males are characterized by strongly contrasting orange and black plumage, a black throat patch, and a white wing bar. The underparts, breast, and face are orange or yellow; by contrast, ...
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