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Tawny-shouldered blackbird facts for kids

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Tawny-shouldered blackbird
Agelaius humeralis, Holguin, Cuba.jpg
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Genus:
Agelaius
Species:
humeralis
Subspecies

Agelaius humeralis humeralis
Agelaius humeralis scopulus

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

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).

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.

Taxonomy

Two subspecies are described:

  • A. h. humeralis(Vigors, 1827): nominate, found in Cuba and Hispaniola
  • A. h. scopulusGarrido, 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.

Diet and habitat

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

See also

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