Tawny-shouldered blackbird

The tawny-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius humeralis) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti). It is a vagrant in the United States, to the Florida Keys.

Tawny-shouldered blackbird

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Icteridae
Genus: Agelaius
Species:
A. humeralis
Binomial name
Agelaius humeralis
(Vigors, 1827)
Subspecies

Agelaius humeralis humeralis
Agelaius humeralis scopulus

Range of A. humeralis

Description

Measuring 20 cm (7.9 in) long, this highly social species is entirely black, save for the namesake brown-orange patch at the shoulder. The patch may not be visible when the wings are folded.[2]

Taxonomy

Two subspecies are described:[3]

  • A. h. humeralis – (Vigors, 1827): nominate, found in Cuba and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti)
  • A. h. scopulus – Garrido, 1970: found on Cayo Cantiles (east of Isla de la Juventud off southwestern Cuba)

Breeding

They breed from April to August, laying 3–4 greenish-white eggs spotted with brown in a cup-shaped nest that is lined with soft materials and placed in a tree.[2]

Diet and habitat

Tawny-shouldered blackbirds eat insects, seeds, nectar, fruit, and small lizards.[2] Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, pastureland, and heavily degraded former forest.

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References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Agelaius humeralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Garrido, Orlando H.; Kirkconnell, Arturo (2000). Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba. Ithaca, NY: Comstock, Cornell University Press. pp. 219–220. ISBN 978-0-8014-8631-9.
  3. Gill, F.; Donsker, D., eds. (2014). "IOC World Bird List". IOC World Bird List (v 4.2). doi:10.14344/IOC.ML.4.2.


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