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The yellow-shouldered blackbird, known in Puerto Rican Spanish as mariquita de Puerto Rico or capitán, is a species of blackbird endemic to Puerto Rico. It has black plumage with a prominent yellow patch on the wing. Adult males and females are of similar appearance. The species is predominantly insectivorous.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The yellow-shouldered blackbird, as its name implies, is a glossy black bird with a small yellow humeral patch around its "shoulders" outlined by a white margin. Immature individuals possess a duller coloration and a brown abdomen. Although plumage coloration is indistinguishable between the sexes, sexual dimorphism is present in this species with males being larger than females. Plumage abnormality is rare in this species. Adult individuals measure from 20–23 cm (7.9–9.1 in); on average, males weigh 41 g (1.4 oz) and females weigh 35 g (1.2 oz).
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in March · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Red-shouldered BlackbirdAgelaius assimilisThe red-shouldered blackbird closely resembles the more numerous and widespread red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), but in contrast to phoeniceus, assimilis males and females are closer in relative size, the female is all-black instead of brown-streaked, and paired birds are monogamous.
Tawny-shouldered BlackbirdAgelaius humeralisThe tawny-shouldered blackbird is 19 to 22 cm (7.5 to 8.7 in) long.
Learn the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird for real
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