Crested Oropendola
Psarocolius decumanus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyIcteridae (New World Blackbirds and Orioles)
- GenusPsarocolius (Oropendolas)
- SpeciesPsarocolius decumanus (Crested Oropendola)
About the Crested Oropendola
The crested oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus), also known as the cornbird, is a species of bird in the family Icteridae, the oropendolas, New World orioles, and New World blackbirds. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay. It is "[u]ndoubtedly overall the commonest and most widespread oropendola".
The crested oropendola was formally described in 1769 with the binomial Xanthornis decumanus. Some authors placed it in genus Ostinops before it was assigned to its present Psarocolius. The crested oropendola's further taxonomy is unsettled. The IOC, the Clements taxonomy, and AviList assign it these four subspecies:
P. d. melanterus (Todd, 1917) P. d. insularis (Dalmas, 1900) P. d. decumanus (Pallas, 1769) P. d. maculosus (Chapman, 1920) However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) does not recognize P. d. maculosus but includes it within P. d. decumanus. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Birds of the World states that DNA data do not support P. d. maculosus as a defined subspecies but does include its description and range in its species account... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Coiba National Park
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
Red-breasted Blackbird
Sturnella militaris
Lance-tailed Manakin
Chiroxiphia lanceolata
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
Barred Antshrike
Thamnophilus doliatus
Crimson-backed Tanager
Ramphocelus dimidiatus
Southern House Wren
Troglodytes musculus
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Polioptila plumbea
Rufous-capped Warbler
Basileuterus rufifrons
White-throated Thrush
Turdus assimilis
Yellow-bellied Elaenia
Elaenia flavogaster
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.