The Venezuelan Troupial - I photographed this bird while driving to North Pantanal, Brazil on the Transpanteria road. We stopped for lunch at a lodge in Mato Grosso and spotted this bird within their property. The Venezuelan Troupial, (Icterus icterus) is the national bird of Venezuela and one of about 25 or so species of New World Orioles. It is found in Colombia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean islands & other parts of South America. Venezuelan Troupials are fairly large in size, with a long tail and a bulky bill. It has a black head and upper breast. The feathers on the front of the neck and upper breast stick outward, making an uneven boundary between the black and the orange of the birds lower breast and underside. The rest of the orange color is found on the upper and lower back, separated by the black shoulders. The wings are mostly black except for a white streak that runs the length of the wing when in a closed position. The eyes are yellow, and surrounding each one, there is a patch of bright, blue, naked skin. Venezuelan Troupials inhabit dry areas like woodlands, gallery forest, dry scrub, plains, and open savannah where they forage for insects, a wide variety of fruit, small birds and eggs.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 03:15:09 +0000
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