Crazy hoots and dangling nests: THE WORLD OF OROPENDOLAS

OROPENDOLAS are icterids (Icteridae), and below to a group of species that are confusingly known as the American blackbirds. None of the American blackbirds are thrushes. Some icterid species have sensible names, like the marshbirds, cowbirds and caciques. But the meadowlarks, grackles and orioles, while bearing some resemblance, are unrelated to the Old World larks, starlings and orioles, so their names are a source of confusion.

Icterids are extrovert species, with loud and varied vocals. They are well known, having been thoroughly studied in their native countries. The family is composed of 111 species, all restricted to the Americas. The largest icterids are the nine species of oropondolas: loud, intelligent, highly social, energetic birds, found mainly in northern South America most northerly species, occurring from east Mexico to Panama. Commonest and most widely distributed is the crested oropendola (), away from the mainland also found in Trinidad and Tobago, and which only arrived in Costa Rica in 1999. By contrast, the endangered Baudo or chestnut-mantled oropendola () is a rare Red-Listed species found in a small area in northwestern Colombia. The black ( and olive oropendolas () also have a restricted range.