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Green Oropendola Psarocolius viridis Scientific name definitions

Rosendo Fraga
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2011

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Introduction

The Green Oropendola is of exclusively Amazonian distribution. Largely pale green above, the posterior underparts and rump are chestnut, and the tail is largely yellow except for the central rectrices. The bill is green basally, becoming red towards the tip, and the skin around the eyes and lores is pink. Males and females are similar in plumage, but the latter sex is substantially smaller. Like most oropendolas, this species breeds in colonies, usually of five to ten pairs, and constructing a hanging ‘basket’ nest of woven plant fibers. The species’ displays are similar to those of the Crested Oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus).

Field Identification

Male average 48·5 cm, 405 g; female average 37 cm, 215 g. Male has head to back and most of underparts yellowish-olive, a few thin feathers forming small green nuchal crest; small bare area on lores and around eye pink to dull orange; wing dusky olive, rump and uppertail-coverts, belly, thigh and crissum chestnut; tail yellow, central feather pair and outer edge of outermost pair dusky olive; iris pale blue; bill is expanded into casque, and is pea-green with orange-red distal half; legs blackish. Differs from similar P. yuracares in colours of back and wing, eye and bill, and bare parts of face. Female is like male, but much smaller and lacking crest. Juvenile is duller than adult, with greyish wash below, less chestnut in plumage, eye dark brown.

Systematics History

Analysis of DNA indicates present species is closer to P. yuracares than to P. decumanus. Populations in NE Peru sometimes recognized as race flavescens (described from Xeberos, in E Peru), but this separation seems unwarranted. Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

E & S Venezuela, the Guianas, and SE Colombia (Vichada and Amazonas), E Ecuador, NE & C Peru and extreme N Bolivia (E Pando) E across most of Amazonian Brazil (E to Marajó I and W Maranhão, S to N Rondônia).

Habitat

Tall humid forests, preferably primary forest. Found from várzea and gallery forest to lower montane forest (e.g. Sierra de Lema, in Venezuela). Rare in disturbed forest. Lowlands to 1100 m.

Movement

Apparently sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

Insects and other arthropods; stomach contents from Suriname and Brazil include orthopterans (of family Tettigoniidae), bugs (Hemiptera), Coleoptera (of families Elateridae and Curculionidae), lepidopteran caterpillars, and spiders (Araneae). Consumes fruit and nectar, but no details available. Forages in groups, rather high in forest canopy.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Male songs variable and complex, usually more musical than those of congeners. In Venezuela loudest part of song (1–2 seconds long) consists of liquid up-and-down rhythmic motifs, e.g. “glop-glop-glop-glup-glup” and the like, forming a bass line with narrow pitch range (400–950 kHz), complex harmonics on top of this creating tonal quality of a wooden percussion instrument (such as a marimba). Other males change harmonics through a second, higher-pitched motif, producing mild dissonant effect. Songs commonly start with a descending whistle (barely audible at distance) and/or rattling sounds. Main call “chak-chak”; also mewing sounds.

Breeding

Season Feb–Apr in Venezuela and Suriname and Jul–Dec in Brazil (Amazonas). Probably moderately polygynous. Breeds in rather small colonies, usually with only 2–10 nests, well-spaced (not clustered); sometimes in mixed colonies with P. decumanus (Venezuela) or with Cacicus haemorrhous (Suriname and Brazil). Singing male may perform a deep bow, and may display while jumping into nests; displaying male also shakes wings, usually with no audible wing-flaps. Nest built by female, purse-shaped and open at top (shorter than that of P. decumanus, and lacks elongated pyriform shape), woven from diverse plant fibres such as roots, dark fungal rhizomorphs, epiphytes, strips of lianas, etc., and suspended from branch tip mostly 20–25 m above ground; prefers tall trees and may use same ones year after year, e.g. a mulateiro (Peltogyne) 25 m tall in Brazil (near Manaus) was used for nesting for at least three years. Clutch 2 eggs, greenish-white, marked purple-brown, dark brown and grey, mean dimensions 33·7 × 22·8 mm; incubation by female; male parental care probably limited to nest-guarding. No other information. Reported as a host of Molothrus oryzivorus.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Relatively abundant throughout most of Amazonia and the Guianan region; scarcer or local at edge of its range, e.g. in NE Venezuela (Sucre) and in S Amazonia. Rare in Bolivia, where there are very few records, all since year 2000; probably of only marginal occurrence in that country. Appears to be the most forest-adapted of the oropendolas, being sensitive to deforestation. Occurs in several protected areas, including, among others, Canaima National Park (Venezuela), Tuparro National Park (Colombia) and Tapajós National Park (Brazil).
Distribution of the Green Oropendola - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Green Oropendola

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Fraga, R. (2020). Green Oropendola (Psarocolius viridis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.greoro1.01
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