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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Perching Birds (Order Passeriformes)

-New World Blackbirds and Orioles (Family Icteridae)

-New World Orioles (Genus Icterus)

-Black-vented Oriole (Icterus wagleri)


The black-vented oriole (Icterus wagleri) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in Central America and the Southern United States. This large oriole lives mostly in dry forest or semi-open woods of the foothills and lower mountain slopes. Feeds heavily on insects and spiders, but will also eat fruits, berries, seeds, and nectar. Usually nests in low- to mid-elevations in the forest canopy. Foraging is done anywhere from near ground level to high in the forest canopy.


Black-vented Oriole

Icterus wagleri

Diet

  • Primarily insects, including caterpillars, beetles, ants, grasshoppers, and other arthropods.

  • Also feeds on fruits, berries, figs, nectar, and occasionally small seeds.

  • Forages in the canopy and mid-levels of trees, gleaning insects from leaves and branches or visiting flowering trees for nectar.

Range

  • Endemic to western Mexico, occurring from southern Sonora south along the Pacific slope through Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, and western Oaxaca.

  • Common in the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a year-round resident.

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn forests, woodland edges, gallery forests, second-growth woodland, and semi-open habitats from sea level to about 2,000 m.

Male / Female

  • Male: Bright yellow head and underparts with a contrasting black face, throat, back, wings, tail, and vent, bold white wing bars, and a black bill.

  • Female: Similar overall pattern but generally duller, with more olive-yellow upperparts and less extensive black on the face and underparts.

  • The sexes are similar in appearance, but males are brighter and have more extensive black plumage.

Size

  • Length: 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in)

  • Wingspan: 30–34 cm (11.8–13.4 in)

  • Weight: 40–55 g

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