- Icterus melanopsis
Identification
Adult
- Black
- Yellow on rump, vent and shoulders
Immatures
Non-descript buffy-brownish and can be confusing compared to both adults and other oriole species.
Similar species
Has black upper-tail coverts in contrast to Hispaniolan Oriole.
Distribution
Found on Cuba and adjacent Isle of Pines.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
It was formerly a part of Greater Antillean Oriole.
Habitat
Often found near palms from sea level up to mid elevation.
Behaviour
Palms are used both for nesting and for foraging.
Diet
Food includes fruit, nectar, insects, and flowers.
Vocalisation
Song activity just after dawn but is not common.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Thread in the Taxonomy forum discussing the possible splitting of this species
- This page at Birdlife International relates a proposal to split all four Greater Antillean Orioles into separate species, and raise concern for the Bahamas form
- 51st supplement to the AOU checklist of North American birds
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2023) Cuban Oriole. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 December 2023 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cuban_Oriole
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
