Chestnut-headed Oropendola vs Montezuma Oropendola

Chestnut-headed Oropendola

Psarocolius wagleri

Medium156 gForest

Chestnut-headed oropendola males average 35 cm (14 in) long and females 28 cm (11 in). Males weigh an average of 214 g (7.5 oz) and females 113 g (4.0 oz). The species looks very long-winged in flight. Males have a slight crest. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a dark purplish chestnut head, throat, and upper breast. Their body and wings are mostly black with a bluish gloss. Their rump and uppertail coverts are dark chestnut and their rear flanks and undertail coverts a medium chestnut.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call, calls · Esmeraldas: 11 km WSW Same, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: yongestation · CC BY 4.0

Montezuma Oropendola

Psarocolius montezuma

Large310 gForest

Adult males are mainly chestnut with a blackish head and rump, and a tail which is bright yellow apart from two dark central feathers. There is a bare blue cheek patch and a pink wattle, the iris is brown, and the long bill is black at the base with a red tip. Females are similar, but smaller than males with a smaller wattle. Young birds are duller than adults and have a paler and less demarcated bill. No subspecies are currently recognized. Voice: The "unforgettable" song of the male Montezuma oropendola is given during the bowing display, and consists of a conversational bubbling followed by loud gurgles, tic-tic-glik-glak-GLUUuuuuu. Both sexes have loud cack and crrrk calls. In a recent study by on male Montezuma oropendolas, researchers found that, when at breeding sites, males often changed the lowest peak frequency.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Tommy Andriollo · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Chestnut-headed Oropendola and Montezuma Oropendola.