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Olive Oropendola - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Stanley Jones
Río Tambopata, Madre de Dios Department, Peru, August, 2018

Alternative name: Amazonian Oropendola

Psarocolius bifasciatus

Includes Para Oropendola

Identification

Male 47–53 cm (18½-20¾ in); Female 34·5–38 cm (13¼-15 in)

  • Chestnut back and wings
  • Olive neck, head and underparts
  • Black bill with bright orange-red tip
  • Bright pink bare patch on the cheek
  • Long yellow tail is yellow underneath

Distribution

South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil

Taxonomy

Some authorities place this species in genus Gymnostinops.

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized1:

  • P. b. yuracares:
  • P. b. neivae:>
  • North Brazil south of the Amazon (Rio Tapajós to Rio Xingú)
  • P. b. bifasciatus:
  • North Brazil south of Amazon (Rio Tocantins to Belém and northern Mato Grosso)


The last of these, yuracares (which is the westernmost subspecies), is sometimes split as a full species, "Olive Oropendola"; in that case, the other daughter species including bifasciatus and neivae is called "Para Oropendola". None of the major checklists recognize this split, but Restall2 does; see also discussion3.

Habitat

Tall humid forests and plantations.

Behaviour

Breeding

They construct a long (about 50ccm) woven basket nest in a tree which hangs from the end of a branch.

Diet

They are probably omnivorous and are thought to cultivated fruit and mostly likely insects too.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
  3. Opus discussion for this page.
  4. Arthur Grosset

Recommended Citation

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