Scarlet-headed blackbird
Scarlet-headed blackbird | |
---|---|
in the Pantanal, Brazil | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Icteridae |
Genus: | Amblyramphus Leach, 1814 |
Species: | A. holosericeus
|
Binomial name | |
Amblyramphus holosericeus (Scopoli, 1786)
| |
The scarlet-headed blackbird (Amblyramphus holosericeus) is an icterid found in the South American wetlands.
Description
[edit]This species is about 24 cm long. The bill is oddly shaped: long, slender, and very sharp, looking almost upturned. Adults of both sexes are described by their name. Juveniles have entirely black plumage; orange-red feathers first appear on their breast and throat, later spreading to the neck, head, and thighs. The song is given as "loud, clear, and melodic, a ringing 'cleer-cleer-clur, clulululu'." Calls are simpler but have a similar quality.[2]
Scarlet-headed blackbirds occur in pairs in large reed beds in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil; Bolivia has an isolated population living at an altitudes of about 600 m. They often perch conspicuously on top of stems. They are uncommon, particularly away from the coast.[2]
They eat mainly fruit, supplementing it with seeds and invertebrates, especially insects. They use their bill as a hammer to open food items.[3]
Scarlet-headed blackbirds are monogamous, and territories are grouped together. The nest is an open cup placed in the crotch of a shrub or woven into vegetation, in which they lay two eggs.[3]
Gallery
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Amblyramphus holosericeus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22724265A132029107. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22724265A132029107.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b Ridgely, Robert S.; Tudor, Guy (1989). The Birds of South America: The Oscine Passerines. University of Texas Press. p. 345. ISBN 0-292-70756-8. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
- ^ a b "Scarlet-headed blackbird". Meet the Animals. Toronto Zoo. Archived from the original on 2006-11-11. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
External links
[edit]- Media related to Amblyramphus holosericeus at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Amblyramphus holosericeus at Wikispecies
- Scarlet-headed blackbird videos - Internet Bird Collection
- Stamps[usurped] (for Argentina, Uruguay) with range map
- Scarlet-headed blackbird photo gallery - VIREO
- Scarlet-headed blackbird photos (Brazil)
- Scarlet-headed blackbird - Neotropical Birds