Ecuadorian cacique
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Cacicus sclateri

The Ecuadorian cacique (Cacicus sclateri ) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. A fairly common bird with a wide range, the IUCN has rated it a "species of least concern".

Appearance

The male Ecuadorian cacique grows to a length of about 23 cm (9 in), with the female being a little smaller. The plumage of both sexes is entirely black, the beak is whitish, long and pointed, and the iris is blue in adults and brown in juveniles. This bird can be distinguished from the otherwise similar solitary cacique (Cacicus solitarius ) because that species is larger, has a darker-coloured iris and spends more time in undergrowth and near the ground and less time in trees. Also similar is the red-rumped cacique (C. haemorrhous ), but it reveals its bright red rump patch when in flight.

Show More

This bird has a number of noisy calls, including a repeated "péach-yo" and "péach-yo-yo", uttered while perched with raised tail, a "k-cheeyow?", and a "kweeyh-kweeyh-kweeyh-kweeyh-wonhh?" among others.

Show Less

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Biogeographical realms

The species is native to southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador and northeastern Peru. It typically lives in moist woodland and the edges of riverside and Várzea forests, at altitudes of up to 400 m (1,300 ft).

Ecuadorian cacique habitat map
Ecuadorian cacique habitat map
Ecuadorian cacique
Attribution License

Habits and Lifestyle

An arboreal bird, the Ecuadorian cacique usually feeds alone but sometimes pairs of birds or small family groups move together through the tree canopy. It often visits flowering and fruiting trees and can sometimes be seen probing the petioles of Cecropia trees. Its diet is mainly insects such as ants, beetles and caterpillars, as well as fruit and possibly nectar.

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Population

Population number

C. sclateri has a wide range, its area of occupancy being estimated as 294,000 km2 (113,514 sq mi). The tropical forests in which it lives are being degraded, reducing the area of suitable habitat, however it is a fairly common species, and the rate of any decline in total population is likely to be slow, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as "least concern".

References

1. Ecuadorian cacique Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecuadorian_cacique
2. Ecuadorian cacique on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22724054/94846793
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/261313

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About