< Oropendula >

The Oropendula The Oropendula is a tropical bird that lives primarily in the Amazon Basin from Columbia and the Guianas to Bolivia and Western Brazil. This bird belongs to the blackbird family. The Oropendula likes to nest in colonies either in a single, high tree canopy or spread out between several trees near a clearing. The colonies tend to be noisy with frequent loud callings and the males engage in flights to display themselves to the females, singing a gurgling song as they fly. The birds generally eat fruit but occasionally will eat an insect. The birds make a beautiful nest that resembles a long woven basket of palm leaves strips or tall grasses. The female Oropendula usually lays one egg but often a cowbird uses the nest to lay her egg along side the Oropendula egg. If the Oropendula does not remove the egg, the cowbird chick may live to save the Oropendula chick’s life. Botflies deposit parasites in the newborn Oropendula chick and this parasite drain the chick of its life. The cowbird chick will keep the botfly from laying its larva by eating the flies before they seek out the Oropendula chick.
The male Oropendula is larger than the female by several inches in the body region. The male bird is approximately 20 inches long. The bird belongs to the Icteridae family and the species called Psarocolius bifasciatus. They have large inner wing feathers and the tail feather of the Olive Oropendula is yellow with crest feathers that are hairlike in nature. JB

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