Yellow-billed cacique facts for kids
The yellow-billed cacique (scientific name: Amblycercus holosericeus) is a cool bird found in Central and South America. It's part of a bird family called Icteridae, which includes orioles and blackbirds. Even though it's called a cacique, some scientists wonder if it truly belongs with the other cacique birds.
Quick facts for kids Yellow-billed cacique |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Amblycercus
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| Species: |
holosericeus
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| Range of Amblycercus holosericeus | |
Contents
What the Yellow-billed Cacique Looks Like
This bird is easy to spot because of its bright bill! Its feathers are completely black. Its legs and feet are a dark gray color. The eyes are usually yellow or a yellow-orange. The most striking feature is its bill, which is yellow with a slight gray tint. This bird is about 23 cm (9.1 in) long, which is about the length of a ruler.
Where Yellow-billed Caciques Live
You can find the yellow-billed cacique in many countries across Central and South America. These include Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
Types of Yellow-billed Caciques
There are three different types, or subspecies, of the yellow-billed cacique:
- A. h. holosericeus: This type lives from southeastern Mexico down to northwestern Colombia.
- A. h. flavirostris: You can find this one from western Colombia to northern Peru.
- A. h. australis: This subspecies lives in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela, extending to eastern Peru and northern Bolivia.
Yellow-billed Cacique Habitat
These birds like to live in warm, wet places. Their natural habitats include tropical lowland forests where it's often moist. They also live in moist montane forests, which are forests found on mountains. Sometimes, they can even be found in areas where forests used to be, but have been changed by people.
What Yellow-billed Caciques Eat
The yellow-billed cacique mainly eats insects and other small creatures without backbones. They also enjoy eating some fruits. These birds have a special way of finding food. They peck at branches and bamboo, much like a woodpecker does, to get to insects hidden inside. In some places, they mostly eat insects found in bamboo. In other areas, they eat from many different kinds of plants.
Yellow-billed Cacique Reproduction
When it's time to build a nest, usually in the spring, the yellow-billed cacique does something a bit unusual for its family. Most birds in the Icteridae family build long, hanging nests that look woven. But the yellow-billed cacique builds a strong, cup-shaped nest. This sturdy nest helps keep their eggs and chicks safe.
