New World oriole
| New World orioles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Baltimore oriole, Icterus galbula | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Icteridae |
| Genus: | Icterus Brisson, 1760 |
| Species | |
|
25-30 species, see text | |
New World orioles are a group of birds in the genus Icterus of the blackbird family. Unrelated to Old World orioles of the family Oriolidae, they are strikingly similar in size, diet, behaviour, and strongly contrasting plumage, a good example of convergent evolution. As a result, the two have been given the same vernacular name.
Males are typically black and vibrant yellow or orange with white markings, females and immature birds duller. They moult annually. New World orioles are generally slender with long tails and a pointed bill. They mainly eat insects, but also enjoy nectar and fruit. The nest is a woven, elongated pouch. Species nesting in areas with cold winters are strongly migratory, while subtropical and tropical species are more sedentary.
The name "oriole" was first recorded (in the Latin form oriolus) by Albertus Magnus in about 1250, which he stated to be onomatopoeic, from the song of the European golden oriole.
The genus name Icterus as used by classical authors, referred to a bird with yellow or green plumage. In modern times this has been identified as the golden oriole. Brisson re-applied the name to the New World birds because of their similarity in appearance.[1]
Provisional species list
This species list is provisional. The exact delimitation of several taxa is unclear, and hybridization seems to be a significant confounding factor, for example in the Baltimore and Bullock's oriole:
- Epaulet oriole, Icterus cayanensis
- Moriche oriole, Icterus cayanensis chrysocephalus - recently merged into I. cayanensis
- Variable oriole, Icterus pyrrhopterus
- Yellow-backed oriole, Icterus chrysater
- Yellow oriole, Icterus nigrogularis
- Jamaican oriole, Icterus leucopteryx
- Grand Cayman oriole, Icterus leucopteryx bairdi - extinct (mid-20th century)
- Orange oriole, Icterus auratus
- Yellow-tailed oriole, Icterus mesomelas
- Orange-crowned oriole, Icterus auricapillus
- White-edged oriole, Icterus graceannae
- Spot-breasted oriole, Icterus pectoralis
- Altamira oriole, Icterus gularis
- Streak-backed oriole, Icterus pustulatus
- Bullock's oriole, Icterus bullockii
- Hooded oriole, Icterus cucullatus
- Venezuelan troupial, Icterus icterus
- Campo troupial, Icterus jamacaii
- Orange-backed troupial, Icterus croconotus
- Baltimore oriole, Icterus galbula
- Black-backed oriole, Icterus abeillei
- Orchard oriole, Icterus spurius
- Fuertes's oriole, Icterus (spurius) fuertesi
- Black-cowled oriole, Icterus prosthemelas
- Bahama oriole, Icterus northropi
- Cuban oriole, Icterus melanopsis
- Hispaniolan oriole, Icterus dominicensis
- Puerto Rican oriole, Icterus portoricensis
- Black-vented oriole, Icterus wagleri
- Saint Lucia oriole, Icterus laudabilis
- Martinique oriole, Icterus bonana
- Montserrat oriole, Icterus oberi
- Audubon's oriole, Icterus graduacauda
- Bar-winged oriole, Icterus maculialatus
- Scott's oriole, Icterus parisorum
References
- ↑
Newton, Alfred (1911). "Icterus". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Icterus. |
- New World oriole videos, photos and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection