Epaulet Oriole (Icterus cayanensis)

Identification & Behavior: 21 cm (8.5 in). The Epaulet Oriole is black with a yellow shoulder band. It is small and slender and resembles tanagers of the genus Tachyphonus. The yellow epaulets can be difficult to see in birds perched high in the canopy. It forages in the canopy of forest edges be they along rivers, lakes and agricultural areas. It also forages in second growth. The Epaulet Oriole is similar to the Moriche Oriole but is distinguished by being all black without the yellow top of the head and nape, and by ranging on the south side of the Amazon and lower Marañon Rivers.

Status: The Epaulet Oriole is uncommon in Amazonia mostly south of the Amazon River and just north of the Ucayali River. It is known to range to elevations of up to 1,200 m along the foothill of the Andes. The closely related Moriche Oriole is restricted to the north side of the Amazon River, but both species overlap in some areas, such as the south side of the lower Marañon River in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.

Name in Spanish: Bolsero de Hombro Pintado

Subspecies: Epauled Oriole (Icterus cayanensis) (Linnaeus), 1766.

Meaning of Name: Icterus:  Gr. Ikteros= Yellow bird. cayanensis: After Cayenne or French Guiana. In early ornithology usually indicated a Neotropical Species of otherwise unknown provenance.

See more of the Family Icteridae