A large, bright, deep orange bird sporting a black bib and a pair of stunning bright blue glasses.
Meet the Orange Troupial
Photo courtesy of berniedup / CC BY-SA 2.0
The orange-backed troupial (Icterus croconotus), is a species of bird in the Icteridae family. It is bright orange, plus black, face, wings, bib and tail. There is a small white spot on the secondary wing feathers. They also have a bright orange stripe on their shoulder along with a small blue ring of bare skin around their eyes.
Photo courtesy of Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 4.0
Their song consists of a series of loud musical bursts, usually two syllables long.
Both the female and the male are almost identical, something unusual among many tropical birds.
Photo courtesy of fveronesi1 / CC BY-SA 2.0
Orange-backed troupial is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay and Peru.
Photo courtesy of DickDaniels / CC BY-SA 4.0
These birds like to live on the edges of forests and also in open wooded areas at altitudes of up to 750 m above sea level.
Photo courtesy of Bernard DUPONT / CC BY-SA 2.0
These birds often like to forage in pairs, eating insects and other arthropods, as well as fruits. They will also eat nectar from wildflowers.
Photo courtesy of felixú / CC BY-SA 2.0
They reproduce in July and August in Colombia, and between November and March in Bolivia and Paraguay. During the breeding season, orange-backed groups like to nest in other birds’ abandoned nests. Although it sometimes builds nests in hollow logs. The female lays two to three eggs in which she incubates for about 14 days. The chicks become fledged 15 days after hatching and are fed after approximately 40 days of age.
Photo courtesy of cuatrok77 / CC BY-SA 2.0
Since their population is on a downward trend due to deforestation in the Amazon, the rate of decline of the Orange-backed groups must not be such that it threatens survival.
Photo courtesy of Bernard DUPONT / CC BY-SA 2.0
Watch this bird right here in the video below:
