Animalia Life

Gymnomystax mexicanus
TAXONOMY
Oriolus mexicanus Linnaeus, 1766, Cayenne.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Carouge loriot; German: Nacktaugentrupial; Spanish: Tordo Maicero.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
10.5–12 in (27–30 cm); 3.3 oz (93 g). Sexes similar in coloration, but males somewhat larger. Head and underparts, and epaulets (shoulders) bright yellow, and black otherwise; blackish patches of skin around the eyes and on the malar area. Young are like adults, but have a black cap.
DISTRIBUTION
Resident in much of Venezuela, central Colombia, and along the Amazon River from eastern Ecuador east to the Atlantic Coast. Sparse in the Guianas.
HABITAT
Marshy area and open areas with scattered trees and palms.
BEHAVIOR
Territorial during the breeding season. Oriole blackbirds are usually observed in pairs or small flocks, but sometimes roost in large flocks. They typically sit on low perches, such as fence posts or low branches in trees, and walk on the ground. When singing, males rough out the feathers of the neck, fan their tails, and droop their wings.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
They mostly forage on the ground, slowly walking and picking up grain, or probing in the ground. They pick fruit from trees.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Monogamous. The nest is a bulky cup of grasses and other vegetation, built by the female with some help from the male, and placed 20–25 ft (6–8 m) up in a tree. Generally three eggs are laid in August–December in Guyana, and March in Peru. Incubation 18–20 days; fledging time not reported.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened. Oriole blackbirds are common in appropriate
HABITAT
. Clearing of forests probably creates habitat that is suitable for them.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
They frequently raid corn fields, and locally oriole blackbirds may be pests.

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