[Animals] Venezuelan turpial

[WilkerCSBD]

Birds Venezuela
Icterus icterus
Venezuelan turpial

Icterus icterus map.svg

The Venezuelan turpial or troupial (Icterus icterus) is a bird belonging to the ichteridae family, native to the American continent. Small in appearance, measuring between 15 and 22 cm, it has a black head and wings and the rest of its body is yellow. They can live alone or as a couple and their melodious singing (? · I) is very peculiar.

It is the national bird of Venezuela, thus being chosen in a contest sponsored by the Venezuelan Society of Natural Sciences and officially declared on May 23, 1958.

Description
This beautiful bird has black plumage on the head and upper chest, while the rest of the body is dark yellow turning orange. The wings are completely black with the exception of a white stripe that runs along each wing when they are closed. The eyes are yellow with a light blue skin outline. Its beak is conical, sharpened and compressed, being one of the most beautiful songbirds in Venezuela.

Subspecies
Two subspecies of this bird are known (I. i. Metae and I. i. Ridgwayi) while there is still scientific controversy about two other possible subspecies (I. i. Croconotus and I. i. Jamacaii). The specimens of I. i. metae have a higher proportion of yellow plumage on the back and the white stripe on the wings is divided into two sections. The specimens of I. i. ridgwayi are generally stronger and therefore make up the majority of the po[CENSORED]tion of this bird in proportion to the other subspecies.

Habitat
The turpial is found throughout Panama and the entire north and central zone of South America and is particularly common in the eastern Colombian plains, as well as in practically the entire territory of Venezuela. The Venezuelan turpial frequents warm and not very rainy areas such as the savannah and gallery jungle, where they find abundant essential food for their diet, characterized by insects, fruit, eggs of other birds and eventually other smaller birds. Their varied and melodious song is heard at dawn and is highly appreciated in homes.

 

You can live alone or as a couple.

Breeding
The mating period takes place between the months of March and September. The Venezuelan turpial does not build nests to incubate its eggs. Instead, they invade abandoned nests, although it is also common for them to take possession of the nest by force, aggressively expelling its occupants. Once it finds a place to live and feed its young, the turpial fiercely defends its territory, so that it can eat the eggs or even the young of other birds that dare to try to occupy its home. In each laying, the turpial lays 3 to 4 eggs, which hatch after two weeks of incubation.