Chopi blackbird

Chopi blackbird
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Icteridae
Genus: Gnorimopsar
Richmond, 1908
Species: G. chopi
Binomial name
Gnorimopsar chopi
(Vieillot, 1819)

The Chopi blackbird (Gnorimopsar chopi) is a species of bird in the Icteridae family. It is monotypic within the genus Gnorimopsar.[2] It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, pastureland, and heavily degraded former forest.[1]

The Chopi blackbird is 25 cm (9.8 in) in length and has black plumage across the body. It is similar to the Forbes's blackbird but has a slightly curved bill with a groove along the lower mandible. The call is a loud explosive "tjouw", either given as a single call or as a series that vary randomly in pitch.[3]

The diet of this species is poorly known, but they have been observed feeding on arthropods and fruit, and there are recorded instances of them feeding on frogs and even predating on birds.[4]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 BirdLife International (2012). "Gnorimopsar chopi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. "ITIS Report: Gnorimopsar". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  3. van Perlo, Ber (2009). A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 354. ISBN 978-0-19-530154-0.
  4. Pizo, Marco Aurélio (2008). "An apparent instance of predation on a Yellow‑billed Cardinal (Paroaria capitata) by the Chopi Blackbird (Gnorimopsar chopi)". Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia 16 (3): 264–265.

External links

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