- Gymnomystax mexicanus
Identification
Male 30½ cm (12 in); Female 26½ cm (10½ in)
- Yellow head and underparts
- Black back, wings and tail
- Black mask round the eyes
- Short black malar stripe.
Distribution
South America: found in East Colombia to Venezuela, the Guianas, Amazazonian Brazil and north-eastern Peru.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Marshy open areas and paddocks, gallery woodland and especially on Amazonian river islands. Rain and urban forests.
Behaviour
Diet
Omnivorous, their diet consisting of a wide variety of insects, such as spiders, crickets and caterpillars, as well as frogs and fruit. They forage in pairs and groups.
Breeding
Nest is a bulky cup made of straw and other vegetation. Clutch is three pale blue eggs with blackish or purple spots.
Vocalisation
Both sexes sing a screechy, rasping and unmusical song. Call includes a loud descending whistle.
Movements
Resident
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). Oriole Blackbird (Gymnomystax mexicanus). 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/62305 on 1 August 2019).
- Oriole Blackbird (Gymnomystax mexicanus), In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/oribla1
- Jaramillo, A. and Burke, P. (1999). New World Blackbirds: The Icterids. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Oriole Blackbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 30 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Oriole_Blackbird
