Campo troupial


The campo troupial or campo oriole is a species of bird in the family Icteridae that is found in northeastern Brazil. At one time thought to be conspecific with the Venezuelan troupial, it is now accepted as a separate species. It is a fairly common bird and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as a "least-concern species".

Description

The campo troupial is very similar in appearance to the Venezuelan troupial with which it was at one time thought to be conspecific. It is a robust bird about long with a long tail and a broad beak. It is bright orange apart from a black hood and bib, back, wings and tail. There is an uneven line dividing the bib from the breast. It differs from the Venezuelan troupial in having only a small patch of white on its wings and hardly any bluish skin around its eye, and it has orange epaulettes on its shoulders whereas the Venezuelan bird does not. It could also be confused with the orange-backed troupial, but that species has an orange head apart from a patch of black on its forehead, a sharp dividing line between its bib and its breast, and rather more orange on its back.

Distribution and habitat

The campo troupial is endemic to northeastern Brazil, where its area of occurrence is estimated to be over. It typically inhabits dry scrubland and deciduous woodland, at elevations up to or more. The ranges of the Venezuelan troupial, the campo troupial and the orange-backed troupial do not overlap.

Ecology

The diet consists of insects and other small invertebrates, fruits and nectar; one individual was found to have 126 fly larvae in its stomach. Breeding takes place during the wet season, between December and March.

Status

The campo troupial is a fairly common bird with a wide range and the population seems to be stable. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".