# Venezuelan Troupial

Scientific name: Icterus icterus

Bird group: [icterids](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/icterids)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/274/Venezuelan-Troupial

## Identification

The Venezuelan troupial (Icterus icterus) is the national bird of Venezuela. It is found in Colombia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Trinidad, and Puerto Rico.  Previously part of a superspecies simply named the troupial, it was recently split together with the orange-backed troupial and Campo troupial.
Venezuelan troupials are fairly large in size, with a long tail and a bulky bill. It has a black head and upper breast. The feathers on the front of the neck and upper breast stick outward, making an uneven boundary between the black and the orange of the bird's lower breast and underside. The rest of the orange color is found on the upper and lower back, separated by the black shoulders. The wings are mostly black except for a white streak that runs the length of the wing when in a closed position. The eyes are yellow, and surrounding each one, there is a patch of bright, blue, naked skin. Former Miss International Edymar Martínez wore the image as a national costume in 2015 in Tokyo, Japan, representing as the national bird of Venezuela.


## Distribution and habitat

The Venezuelan Troupial is native to northern South America 
and islands off the north coast 
(Jaramillo and Burke 1999), and 
has been introduced to a number 
of Caribbean islands (Oberle 
2018, Raffaele and others 1998) 
in association with the pet trade. 
It is established on Puerto Rico, 
where it is relatively common 
in the southwestern region and 
uncommon throughout the rest 
of the island (Raffaele and others 
1998). No published troupial 
records are listed in Gemmill 
(2015). It usually inhabits dry 
deciduous forests, open wooded 
country, palm groves, suburban 
gardens (Oberle 2018), and arid scrublands (Raffaele and others 
1998). The atlas fieldwork yielded 
a total of 166 records within 101 
hexagons or 21 percent of the 
479 total hexagons (see map). 
Of the 101 hexagons where this 
species was found, breeding met 
the atlas definitions of confirmed 
in 9 percent (9) of the hexagons, 
probable in 22 percent (22), 
and possible in 68 percent (69), 
while the species was observed 
in 1 percent (1) of the hexagons 
but without evidence of breeding 
(see map). Atlas fieldwork suggests 
that the species is expanding its 
distribution into higher elevations 
and eastward as also documented 
by recent records of occurrence in 
the Fajardo Christmas Bird Count. Venezuelan Troupial distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones in 
Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.       265Venezuelan Troupial/Turpial Venezolano

## Breeding

Previously published reports indicate that the Venezuelan 
Troupial breeds primarily from 
March to June (Raffaele and others 
1998). The nest is a deep cup-
shaped structure that is usually 
built in a cactus or among thorny 
scrub (Raffaele and others 1998). 
Atlas results show that this species 
breeds throughout the year with 
the most breeding activity from 
March to June (see chart). Overall, 
the breeding activity peaks in May, 
and during this month it mostly 
takes place within the subtropical 
dry forest life zone (see chart). 
Overall, results (see table and map) show that this species breeds 
primarily in lower elevations 
mostly within the subtropical moist 
forest life zone (55 percent of the 
hexagons) and the subtropical 
dry forest life zone (38 percent of 
the hexagons) and rarely breeds 
at higher elevations within the 
subtropical wet forest life zones 
(7 percent of the hexagons).

## Conservation

The current global population 
trend of the Venezuelan Troupial 
has not been quantified or 
assessed, but the species is 
described as fairly common but patchily distributed (Stotz and 
others 1996). Due to the lack 
of evidence for any threats or 
declines, the overall population 
is suspected to be stable. This 
species is currently listed as a 
species of least concern by the 
IUCN (BirdLife International 2018). 
Locally, this species is not listed in 
any of the threatened categories 
of PRDNER and USFWS. In Puerto 
Rico, the Venezuelan Troupial 
has a protected habitat in land of 
about 9 percent or 210 km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons 
where evidence of breeding was 
found for this species (2372 km2).

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_274_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_274_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.