Bird Guide

Red-rumped Cacique vs Yellow-rumped Cacique

Red-rumped Cacique (Cacicus haemorrhous)

Red-rumped Cacique

Cacicus haemorrhous

Medium84 gForest

Male red-rumped caciques average 29 cm (11 in) long and 96.5 g (3.4 oz). Females average 25 cm (9.8 in) long and weigh 62 to 74 g (2.2 to 2.6 oz). The sexes have essentially the same plumage though females are overall duller than males. Adults of the nominate subspecies C. h. haemorrhous are mostly glossy black with a bright red lower back and rump. Males have a pale blue iris and females a brownish blue iris. Both sexes have an ivory-colored bill and black legs and feet. Juveniles resemble adult females. Subspecies C. h. Voice: The red-rumped cacique has a "oud, complex and varied repertoire of songs and calls, particularly among males". They have been described as an "unstructured series of high, hoarse sreek sreek... notes (not unlike barking of small dog)." When alarmed all the members of a colony give "a loud harsh kak-kak-kak.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela)

Yellow-rumped Cacique

Cacicus cela

Medium85 gForest

The male is on average 28 centimetres (11 in) long and weighs about 104 grams (3.7 oz), with the female 23 centimetres (9.1 in) long and weighing approximately 60 grams (2.1 oz). The yellow-rumped cacique is a slim bird, with a long tail, blue eyes, and a pale yellow pointed bill. It has mainly black plumage, apart from a bright yellow rump, tail base, lower belly and wing "epaulets". The female is duller black than the male, and the juvenile bird resembles the female, but has dark eyes and a brown bill base.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Yellow-rumped Cacique
Recorded by radrat · Call · Pipeline road, Panama · CC0
Photo: Lucas Illanes · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Red-rumped Cacique and Yellow-rumped Cacique.