Oriole Blackbird

Overview

The oriole blackbird (Gymnomystax mexicanus) is a medium-sized, yellow and black bird belonging to the family Icteridae. It is the only member of its genus and is classified as a species of least concern due to its extensive range and steady population.

Identification

• Approximately 30 cm (12 in) in length, with bright yellow head, neck, shoulders, and underparts.
• Back, wings, rump, and tail are black, with a strip of yellow on the lower wing-coverts.
• Large blackish bill and feet, with a brown eye surrounded by a black eye ring.
• Voice consists of loud, scratchy calls, including a screech resembling a rusty hinge, often uttered from elevated perches.

Habitat

Found in northern South America, specifically French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and northern Brazil. It inhabits subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, shrubland, seasonally wet lowland grasslands, and swamps, often near rivers and marshes.

Diet

Forages mostly on the ground in muddy areas near water, feeding on invertebrates such as earthworms, caterpillars, and winged insects. It also consumes frogs, fruit, and occasionally tears open ripening maize cobs to feed on the seeds.

Did you know?

Parents feed their chicks by bringing small invertebrates and frogs whole in their beaks rather than regurgitating them.