Meet the Venezuelan Troupial with its intense shades of orange and red on black, white and blue.
Photo courtesy of Laura Wolf/CC BY 2.0
The Venezuelan troupial ( Icterus icterus ) is a relatively large bird with a long tail and high beak. The upper breast area and head are black, with the feathers on the upper breast standing out, marking an uneven line between the black and orange of the bird’s lower breast and the green. Orange is also found on the upper and lower back, separated by black shoulders. The wings are also black with a white stripe running the length of the wing when closed. The yellow eyes are surrounded by bright blue bare skin.
Juveniles are similar to adult birds, although they are paler with a brown wash over the black parts of their plumage.
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The eye skin of younger birds is also duller.
Although this bird is the international bird of Venezuela, it is also found in Colombia and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, Trinidad and Puerto Rico.
These birds prefer to inhabit wooded habitats with dense, lush vegetation, including areas of scrub and overgrown grasslands, as well as orchards. They also adapt well to fragmented habitats and forest edges.
Being omnivorous birds, they will happily eat the abundant foods provided by the tropical climate, including insects, fruits, nectar, berries and seeds. They also eat eggs and chicks and, if the opportunity arises, it is thought that they could drink nectar from feeders.
Venezuelan groups reproduce from March to September. They do not build their own nests, but are pirates of more and more nests. This means that they do not build any nests of their own, but must instead find an empty nest or move the adults away from an active nest. Venezuelan groups are able to resist attacks against established nests. Upon taking over a nest, they may eat any remaining eggs or chicks and will fiercely defend the area against any other potential attackers.
This bird is considered the least important on the IUCN Red List and more than 1,300 birds have been recorded in Venezuela, making it a popular destination for birdwatching tours.
