Scarlet-rumped Cacique
Encyclopedia
The Scarlet-rumped Cacique (Cacicus uropygialis) is a passerine
bird
species
in the New World
family
Icteridae. It breeds from eastern Honduras
to Panama
and in the Pacific lowlands of South America
from western Colombia
south to Ecuador
, and in the lower reaches of the northern Andes
. There are several subspecies
, some of which have been proposed for elevation to full species status.
As a whole, C. uropygialis it is usually called the Scarlet-rumped Cacique. However, it is often split into two species, in which case this name is limited to Cacicus (uropygialis) microrhynchus (with subspecies
pacificus), while the nominate subspecies, C. u. uropygialis, is referred to as the Subtropical Cacique.. The "true" Scarlet-rumped Cacique - then Cacicus microrhynchus - may also be split further; the Pacific populations have been proposed as the Pacific Cacique (Cacicus pacificus). The AOU
considers it likely that at least two species are involved, but points out that no dedicated analsyis of the data at hand has been published. It therefore does not formally recognize the split at present.
like many Icteridae, though it mainly concerns size in this species. Males are 23 cm (9 in) long and weigh 68 g (2.4 oz), while the female is 20 cm (8 in) long and weighs 53 g (1.9 oz); they follow Bergmann's Rule
, with the Subtropical Caciques of the cooler uplands being larger. This cacique is a slim long-winged bird, with a relatively short tail, blue eyes, and a pale yellow pointed bill. It has mainly black plumage
, apart from a scarlet patch on the lower back and upper rump. The female is smaller and a duller black than the male, and the juvenile bird has a brownish tone to the plumage and a brownish-orange rump.
The song of these birds is a pleasant wheee-whee-whee-whee-wheet, but the Pacific Cacique has a descending melancholy wheeo-wheeo-wheeo-wheeo. The calls birds give to members differ between the three groups: those of the Subtropical Cacique sound rather atypical for icterid
s and more like the chatter of an excited Great Thrush
(Turdus fuscater). The Scarlet-rumped Cacique in the narrowest sense has a burry pleeo; the Pacific Cacique has a sweeter keeo or a shree.
at up to 1000 m (3,300 ft) ASL
. The Scarlet-rumped Cacique is found from Honduras, through Nicaragua
and Costa Rica
, to Panama (except Darién
), while the Pacific Cacique is found from eastern Panama (Darién), through western Colombia, to western Ecuador.
Subtropical Caciques occur at higher altitudes; they have been recorded as high as 2,450 m (8,000 ft) ASL and are found along the eastern slopes of the Andes
at altitudes of 1000–2300 m (3300–7500 ft) in submontane or cloud forest
, ranging from Venezuela
, through Colombia and Ecuador, to Peru
, with an isolated population in the Serranía del Perijá
. Their habitat has a lower canopy
than that of their lowland relatives, dominated by trees of little more than 15-20 (50–65 ft) height, for example oak
s (Quercus). Epiphytes, hemiepiphyte
s like Coussapoa (Urticaceae
), and a usually dense understory with tree ferns, Ericaceae
, etc. are also typical habitat features.
These caciques
forage through the canopy in small flocks. It feeds on large insect
s, spider
s and small vertebrate
s, but will also take some fruit. It often forms mixed-species feeding flock
s with similarly robust and rowdy songbird
s, such as other icterid
s, Black-faced Grosbeak
s (Caryothraustes poliogaster), or American jay
s. Such noisy flocks may also attract trogon
s or flycatchers
.
Unlike some other caciques they are not usually colonial breeders; like them they have a bag-shaped nest. It is built about c. 3.5–30 m (10–100 ft) above ground, in a tree which usually also contains an active wasp
nest. The bird's nest is 36–64 cm (14–25 in) long, widens at the base, and is suspended from the end of a branch. The normal clutch is two dark-blotched white egg
s. The male will assist in feeding the young, but does not incubate.
The IUCN conservation status of Least Concern
applies for the taxon
in the broad sense. Both the Scarlet-rumped (in the narrower sense) and the Pacific Cacique are widespread and locally common. The Subtropical Cacique is generally uncommon to rare, but due to its extensive range unlikely to be seriously threatened.
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...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
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 breeds from eastern Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and in the Pacific lowlands of 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...
from western Colombia
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...
south to 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...
, and in the lower reaches of the northern 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...
. There are several subspecies
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...
, some of which have been proposed for elevation to full species status.
As a whole, C. uropygialis it is usually called the Scarlet-rumped Cacique. However, it is often split into two species, in which case this name is limited to Cacicus (uropygialis) microrhynchus (with subspecies
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...
pacificus), while the nominate subspecies, C. u. uropygialis, is referred to as the Subtropical Cacique.. The "true" Scarlet-rumped Cacique - then Cacicus microrhynchus - may also be split further; the Pacific populations have been proposed as the Pacific Cacique (Cacicus pacificus). The AOU
American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
considers it likely that at least two species are involved, but points out that no dedicated analsyis of the data at hand has been published. It therefore does not formally recognize the split at present.
Description
The Scarlet-rumped Cacique has sexual dimorphismSexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
like many Icteridae, though it mainly concerns size in this species. Males are 23 cm (9 in) long and weigh 68 g (2.4 oz), while the female is 20 cm (8 in) long and weighs 53 g (1.9 oz); they follow Bergmann's Rule
Bergmann's Rule
Bergmann's rule is an ecogeographic principle that states that within a broadly distributed genus, species of larger size are found in colder environments, and species of smaller size are found in warmer regions. Although originally formulated in terms of species within a genus, it has often been...
, with the Subtropical Caciques of the cooler uplands being larger. This cacique is a slim long-winged bird, with a relatively short tail, blue eyes, and a pale yellow pointed 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 scarlet patch on the lower back and upper rump. The female is smaller and a duller black than the male, and the juvenile bird has a brownish tone to the plumage and a brownish-orange rump.
The song of these birds is a pleasant wheee-whee-whee-whee-wheet, but the Pacific Cacique has a descending melancholy wheeo-wheeo-wheeo-wheeo. The calls birds give to members differ between the three groups: those of the Subtropical Cacique sound rather atypical for icterid
Icterid
The Icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red. The family is extremely varied in size, shape, behavior and coloration...
s and more like the chatter of an excited Great Thrush
Great Thrush
The Great Thrush is a species of bird in the Turdidae family.It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. At 30–35 cm in length, it is the largest thrush in the Americas, although a couple of Asian species equal or surpass its size...
(Turdus fuscater). The Scarlet-rumped Cacique in the narrowest sense has a burry pleeo; the Pacific Cacique has a sweeter keeo or a shree.
Ecology and distribution
The Scarlet-rumped and Pacific Caciques are birds associated with humid lowland primary forest or old secondary forestSecondary forest
A secondary forest is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a major disturbance such as fire, insect infestation, timber harvest or windthrow, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident...
at up to 1000 m (3,300 ft) 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...
. The Scarlet-rumped Cacique is found from Honduras, through Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, to Panama (except Darién
Darién Province
Darién is a province in eastern Panama. It is also the largest province in Panama. It is hot, humid, heavily forested, and sparsely populated, having 48,378 habitants...
), while the Pacific Cacique is found from eastern Panama (Darién), through western Colombia, to western Ecuador.
Subtropical Caciques occur at higher altitudes; they have been recorded as high as 2,450 m (8,000 ft) ASL and are found along the eastern slopes 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...
at altitudes of 1000–2300 m (3300–7500 ft) in submontane or cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
, ranging from 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...
, through Colombia and Ecuador, to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, with an isolated population in the Serranía del Perijá
Serrania del Perija
The Serranía del Perijá, Cordillera de Perijá or Sierra de Perijá is a mountain range, an extension of the eastern Andean branch , in northern South America, between Colombia and Venezuela, ending further north in the Guajira Desert, a total distance of about 310 km...
. Their habitat has a lower canopy
Canopy (forest)
In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by plant crowns.For forests, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms .Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent...
than that of their lowland relatives, dominated by trees of little more than 15-20 (50–65 ft) height, for example oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s (Quercus). Epiphytes, hemiepiphyte
Hemiepiphyte
A hemiepiphyte is a plant which begins its life as an epiphyte but which later grows roots down into the ground. The seeds of hemiepiphytes germinate in the canopy and initially live epiphytically...
s like Coussapoa (Urticaceae
Urticaceae
Urticaceae, or the nettle family, is a family of flowering plants. The family name comes from the genus Urtica . Urticaceae includes a number of well-known and useful plants, including the aforementioned nettles, Ramie , māmaki , and ajlai .The family includes approximately 2600 species, grouped...
), and a usually dense understory with tree ferns, Ericaceae
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
, etc. are also typical habitat features.
These caciques
Cacique (bird)
The caciques are passerine birds in the New World blackbird family. Members of the family are resident breeders in tropical South America and north to Mexico. All of the group are in the genus Cacicus, except the aberrant Yellow-billed Cacique , which constitutes a monotypic genus...
forage through the canopy in small flocks. It feeds on large 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, spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s and small vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
s, but will also take some fruit. It often forms mixed-species feeding flock
Mixed-species feeding flock
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species, that join each other and move together while foraging...
s with similarly robust and rowdy songbird
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
s, such as other icterid
Icterid
The Icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red. The family is extremely varied in size, shape, behavior and coloration...
s, Black-faced Grosbeak
Black-faced Grosbeak
The Black-faced Grosbeak, Caryothraustes poliogaster, is a large seed-eating bird in the cardinal family, which is a resident breeding species from southeastern Mexico to eastern Panama....
s (Caryothraustes poliogaster), or American jay
Jay
The jays are several species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the crow family Corvidae. The names jay and magpie are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex...
s. Such noisy flocks may also attract trogon
Trogon
The trogons and quetzals are birds in the order Trogoniformes which contains only one family, the Trogonidae. The family contains 39 species in eight genera. The fossil record of the trogons dates back 49 million years to the mid-Eocene. They might constitute a member of the basal radiation of...
s or flycatchers
Tyrant flycatcher
The tyrant flycatchers are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds on Earth, with more than 400 species. They are the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and...
.
Unlike some other caciques they are not usually colonial breeders; like them they have a bag-shaped nest. It is built about c. 3.5–30 m (10–100 ft) above ground, in a tree which usually also contains an active wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
nest. The bird's nest is 36–64 cm (14–25 in) long, widens at the base, and is suspended from the end of a branch. The normal clutch is two dark-blotched 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. The male will assist in feeding the young, but does not incubate.
The IUCN conservation status of Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
applies for the taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
in the broad sense. Both the Scarlet-rumped (in the narrower sense) and the Pacific Cacique are widespread and locally common. The Subtropical Cacique is generally uncommon to rare, but due to its extensive range unlikely to be seriously threatened.