Moriche Oriole
Encyclopedia
The Moriche Oriole, Icterus cayanensis chrysocephalus, is a passerine
bird
in the New World
family
Icteridae. It is unrelated to Old World
oriole
s (family Oriolidae). It is a breeding resident in the tropics
of eastern South America
. This bird is noted for its close association with the palm Mauritia flexuosa (Moriche, Buriti, Ita, Ité, etc.).
This ecologically distinct bird was formerly treated as a species Icterus chrysocephalus. It was eventually found to be embedded in the Epaulet Oriole
(I. cayanensis) clade
. Thus, for example the AOU since 2005 lumps the Moriche Oriole into I. cayanensis. The subspecific
structure of I. cayanensis is still rather puzzling.
This is a slim bird, 8.7 in (22 cm) long and weighing 1.5 oz (42 g), 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.
The song of the Moriche Oriole is a squeaky whistling heaaa-wheeooo-heaaa. This is an often-conspicuous species near its favoured tree, and usually occurs singly or in pairs.
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. It is most common from sea level up to 1,600 ft (500 m) ASL
, but here and there it reaches up to around 3,300 ft (1,000 m) in the eastern foothills of the Andes
, which mark the western border or its range.
The Moriche Oriole is a bird closely associated with Moriche Palm
s (Mauritia flexuosa), and it is found in the forests, swamps or savanna
where that tree occurs. This bird eats mainly insect
s, but will also take nectar and some fruit
. 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 egg
s.
It is affected to some extent by trapping for the cagebird trade, but can cope with heavy disturbance to its habitat as long as some Moriche Palms remain.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Icteridae. It is unrelated to Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
oriole
Oriole
Orioles are colourful Old World passerine birds in the genus Oriolus, the namesake of the corvoidean family Oriolidae. They are not related to the New World orioles, which are icterids and, belonging to the superfamily Passeroidea songbirds, are quite unrelated to the true orioles.The orioles are...
s (family Oriolidae). It is a breeding resident in the tropics
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
of eastern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. This bird is noted for its close association with the palm Mauritia flexuosa (Moriche, Buriti, Ita, Ité, etc.).
This ecologically distinct bird was formerly treated as a species Icterus chrysocephalus. It was eventually found to be embedded in the Epaulet Oriole
Epaulet Oriole
The Epaulet Oriole is a species of bird in the Icteridae family. The Moriche Oriole, formerly considered a distinct species The Epaulet Oriole (Icterus cayanensis) is a species of bird in the Icteridae family. The Moriche Oriole, formerly considered a distinct species The Epaulet Oriole (Icterus...
(I. cayanensis) clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
. Thus, for example the AOU since 2005 lumps the Moriche Oriole into I. cayanensis. The subspecific
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
structure of I. cayanensis is still rather puzzling.
This is a slim bird, 8.7 in (22 cm) long and weighing 1.5 oz (42 g), with a long tail and thin decurved bill. It has mainly black plumage
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
, 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.
The song of the Moriche Oriole is a squeaky whistling heaaa-wheeooo-heaaa. This is an often-conspicuous species near its favoured tree, and usually occurs singly or in pairs.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
and the Guianas, and south to eastern Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
and northern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The Trinidadian population may have originated from recent colonisation or escapes. It is most common from sea level up to 1,600 ft (500 m) ASL
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
, but here and there it reaches up to around 3,300 ft (1,000 m) in the eastern foothills of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, which mark the western border or its range.
The Moriche Oriole is a bird closely associated with Moriche Palm
Moriche Palm
The Moriche Palm, Mauritia flexuosa, also known as the Ité Palm, Ita, Buriti, or aguaje , is a palm tree. It grows in and near swamps and other wet areas in tropical South America....
s (Mauritia flexuosa), and it is found in the forests, swamps or savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
where that tree occurs. This bird eats mainly insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, but will also take nectar and some fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
. 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 egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s.
It is affected to some extent by trapping for the cagebird trade, but can cope with heavy disturbance to its habitat as long as some Moriche Palms remain.