Unicoloured Blackbird

About the Unicoloured Blackbird

The unicolored blackbird (Agelasticus cyanopus) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae, the oropendolas, New World orioles, and New World blackbirds. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and as a vagrant in Peru.

The unicolored blackbird was formally described in 1819 with the binomial Agelaius cyanopus. The species was later assigned to genus Chrysomus. By the 1990s Agelaius and Chrysomus were beginning to be recognized as polyphyletic, and early in the twenty-first century Agelasticus, which had been erected in 1851, was resurrected for the unicolored blackbird and two other species.

The unicolored blackbird's further taxonomy is unsettled. The IOC, AviList, and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World recognize these four subspecies: A. c. xenicus (Parkes, 1966) A. c. atroolivaceus (Wied-Neuwied, M, 1831)

A. c. beniensis (Parkes, 1966) A. c. cyanopus (Vieillot, 1819) However, as of late 2025 the Clements taxonomy does not recognize A. c. beniensis and treats A. c. xenicus by its earlier binomial A. c. unicolor (Swainson, 1838).

The females have notably different plumage and some authors have suggested... Wikipedia →