| Yellow-rumped cacique | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| in Brazil | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Icteridae |
| Genus: | Cacicus |
| Species: | C. cela |
| Binomial name | |
| Cacicus cela | |
 | |
| Global range (green) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Theyellow-rumped cacique (Cacicus cela) is apasserinebird in theNew World familyIcteridae. It breeds in much of northernSouth America fromPanama andTrinidad south toPeru,Bolivia and centralBrazil. However, they have been sighted as far north asNayarit state inMexico.
The yellow-rumped cacique wasformally described by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in 1758 in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae under thebinomial nameParus cela.[2] Why Linnaeus picked this specific epithet is uncertain but it may be shorthand for theAncient Greekkelainos meaning "black".[3] Linnaeus mistakenly specified theHabitat asin Indiis (India). Thetype location was designated asSuriname by the Austrian ornithologistCarl Eduard Hellmayr in 1906.[4][5] The yellow-rumped cacique is now placed in thegenusCacique that was introduced by theBernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799.[6][7]
Threesubspecies are recognised:[7]
The first two subspecies may be a separate species, the saffron-rumped cacique.[8]
The male is on average 28 centimetres (11 in) long and weighs about 104 grams (3.7 oz), with the female 23 centimetres (9.1 in) long and weighing approximately 60 grams (2.1 oz). The yellow-rumped cacique is a slim bird, with a long tail, blue eyes, and a pale yellow pointedbill. It has mainly blackplumage, apart from a bright yellow rump, tail base, lower belly and wing "epaulets". The female is duller black than the male, and the juvenile bird resembles the female, but has dark eyes and a brown bill base.
Thesong of the male yellow-rumped cacique is a brilliant mixture of fluting notes with cackles, wheezes and sometimesmimicry. There are also many varied calls, and an active colony can be heard from a considerable distance.[8]
.JPG)
The yellow-rumped cacique is a bird associated with open woodland or cultivation with large trees.
.JPG)
This gregarious bird eats largeinsects (such asbeetles,caterpillars,crickets,grasshoppers andkatydids),[9][10]spiders[9] (such asorb-weavers),[10]nectar[9][10] andfruit (such aschupa-chupa andfigs).[10]
It is a colonial breeder, with up to 100 bag-shapednests in a tree, which usually also contains an activewasp nest. The females build the nests, incubate, and care for the young. Each nest is 30–45 cm long and widens at the base, and is suspended from the end of a branch. Females compete for the best sites near the protection of the wasp nest. The normal clutch is two dark-blotched pale blue or whiteeggs. Females begin incubating after laying the second egg; hatching occurs after 13 or 14 days. The young fledge in 34 to 40 days, usually only one per nest.
The yellow-rumped cacique has benefited from the more open habitat created by forest clearance and ranching. It is not considered threatened by theIUCN.[11]
InPeruvianfolklore, this species – like othercaciques andoropendolas – is calledpaucar, or – referring to this species only –paucarcillo ("littlepaucar"). This species is apparently thepaucar that, according to a folktale ofMoyobamba, originated as a rumor-mongering boy who always wore black pants and a yellow jacket. When he spread an accusation against an old woman who was afairy in disguise, she turned him into a noisy, wandering bird. The bird's appearance is thought toaugur good news.[12]
 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(January 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
