, Costa Rica, March, 2012]]
- Quiscalus nicaraguensis
Identification
Male 29 cm (11½ in); female 24 cm (9½ in)
They have quite long legs
Male
- Black overall plumage with violet and green iridescence
Female brown with darker wings and paler belly
Similar species
Great-tailed Grackle is larger with significantly longer wings. On Great-tailed the wing tips extend beyond the vent. Nicaraguan may also appear duller than Great-tailed—more black—with a clearly shorter tail (but tails vary considerably).
Distribution
Costa Rica and Nicaragua in a relatively small area overlapping the border.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Swamps and wet pastureland; lake shores and river banks.
Behaviour
Diet
They mostly feed on the ground on seeds, insects, arthropods and small invertebrates. Often seen in the company of grazing cattle.
Breeding
They breed in small colonies.
References
- 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/
- Fraga, R. (2019). Nicaraguan Grackle (Quiscalus nicaraguensis). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/62284 on 10 August 2019).
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Nicaraguan Grackle. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 September 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Nicaraguan_Grackle
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
