Tawny-shouldered blackbird

The tawny-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius humeralis) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in Cuba and Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti). It is a vagrant in the United States (to the Florida Keys).

Tawny-shouldered blackbird
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Icteridae
Genus: Agelaius
Species:
A. humeralis
Binomial name
Agelaius humeralis
(Vigors, 1827)
Subspecies

Agelaius humeralis humeralis
Agelaius humeralis scopulus

Range of A. humeralis (note: map is missing distribution in the Dominican Republic)

Description

Measuring 20 cm (7.9 in) long, this highly social species is entirely black, save for the namesake brown-orange patch at the shoulder. The patch may not be visible when the wings are folded.[2]

Taxonomy

Two subspecies are described:[3]

  • A. h. humeralis – (Vigors, 1827): nominate, found in Cuba and Hispaniola
  • A. h. scopulus – Garrido, 1970: found on Cayo Cantiles (east of Isla de la Juventud off southwestern Cuba)

Breeding

They breed from April to August, laying 3–4 greenish-white eggs spotted with brown in a cup-shaped nest that is lined with soft materials and placed in a tree.[2]

Diet and habitat

Tawny-shouldered blackbirds eat insects, seeds, nectar, fruit, and small lizards.[2] Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, pastureland, and heavily degraded former forest.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Agelaius humeralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22724206A132028704. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22724206A132028704.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. Garrido, Orlando H.; Kirkconnell, Arturo (2000). Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba. Ithaca, NY: Comstock, Cornell University Press. pp. 219–220. ISBN 978-0-8014-8631-9.
  3. Gill, F.; Donsker, D., eds. (2014). "IOC World Bird List". IOC World Bird List (V 4.2). doi:10.14344/IOC.ML.4.2.


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