Selva Cacique (Cacicus koepckeae)

Identification & Behavior: ~23 cm (9 cm). The Selva Cacique is solid black with a bright yellow rump. The iris is sky blue. The bill is pale yellowish. The tail and uppertail coverts are solid black. It forages in the mid-story and canopy of varzea or floodplain forests. The Selva Cacique is structurally similar to an Ecuadorian Cacique but has a yellow rump. These two species occupy separate ranges. The Selva Cacique is also similar to a Mountain Cacique, which occurs above 1800 m on the east slope of the Andes. Also, see the common and widespread Yellow-rumped Cacique.

Status: Endemic. The Selva Cacique is rare and restricted to a small area in Cusco, Ucayali, and Madre de Dios.

Name in Spanish: Cacique de Koepcke.

Sub-species: Selva Cacique (Cacicus koepckeae) Lowery and O’Neill, 1965.

Meaning of Name: Cacicus: Spanish Caique= Indian Chief. koepckeae: In honor of Maria Emilia Ana Koepcke née von Mikulicz-Radecki (1924-1971) German ornithologist in Peru 1949-1971, explorer, collector.

See more of the Family Icteridae