Crested oropendola

Crested oropendola
P. d. insularis, Trinidad
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Icteridae
Genus: Psarocolius
Species:
P. decumanus
Binomial name
Psarocolius decumanus
(Pallas, 1769)

The crested oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus), also known as the Suriname crested oropendola or the cornbird, is a New World tropical icterid bird. It is a resident breeder in lowland South America east of the Andes, from Panama and Colombia south to northern Argentina, as well as on Trinidad and Tobago. If the genus Gymnostinax for the Montezuma oropendola and its closest relatives were considered valid, this species would probably belong in that genus (Price & Lanyon 2002).

It is a common bird, seen alone or in small flocks foraging in trees for large insects, fruit, seeds and some nectar.[2] The male is 46 cm long and weighs 300 g; the smaller female is 37 cm long and weighs 180 g.

The plumage of the crested oropendola has a musty smell due to the oil from the preen gland.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2020). "Psarocolius decumanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22723982A138239106. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22723982A138239106.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Psarocolius decumanus (Crested Oropendola or Cornbird)" (PDF). Sta.uwi.edu. Retrieved 18 March 2022.