[order] Passeriformes | [family] Icteridae | [latin] Icterus chrysocephalus | [UK] Moriche Oriole | [FR] Oriole moriche | [DE] Goldkappentrupial | [ES] Turpial Moriche | [IT] Oriolo di Moriche | [NL] Geelkaptroepiaal
Subspecies
| Genus | Species | subspecies | Breeding Range | Breeding Range 2 | Non Breeding Range |
Physical charateristics
This is a slim bird, 22 cm long, with a long tail and thin decurved bill. It has mainly black plumage, apart from a bright yellow crown, rump, thighs and wing epaulets. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile bird is dark brown rather than black, with duller yellow patches.
No sound available
| wingspan min.: | 0 | cm | wingspan max.: | 0 | cm |
| size min.: | 21 | cm | size max.: | 22 | cm |
| incubation min.: | 0 | days | incubation max.: | 0 | days |
| fledging min.: | 0 | days | fledging max.: | 0 | days |
| broods: | 1 | eggs min.: | 2 | ||
| eggs max.: | 3 |
Range
The Mochique Oriole breeds from eastern Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and the Guianas, and south to eastern Ecuador, Paraguay and northern Brazil. The Trinidadian population may have originated from recent colonisation or escapes. This species is nowadays considered a subspecies of the Epaulet Oriole (I. cayanensis).
Habitat
The Moriche Oriole is a bird closely associated with Moriche Palms (Mauritia flexuosa), and it is found in the forests, swamps or savanna where that tree occurs.
Reproduction
Its nest is a long hanging basket of grass and other plant fibres, suspended from the end of a Moriche Palm branch. The normal clutch is two dark-spotted pale blue or white eggs.
Feeding habits
This bird eats mainly insects, but will also take nectar and some fruit.
Conservation
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 10,400,000 km2. The global population size has not been quantified, but it is believed to be large as the species is described as ‘fairly common’ in at least parts of its range (Stotz et al. 1996). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Migration
Sedentary throughout range.
Distribution map
Literature
Title Notes on Icterus nigrogularis and I. chrysocephalus in Surinam
Author(s): F. HAVERSCHMIDT
Abstract: In his interesting and important paper,