Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Psarocolius wagleri

Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Psarocolius wagleri. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California, taken in the coastal region of Costa Rica, February 2016.

The Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Psarocolius wagleri, is a member of the Icteridae Family of Troupials and Allies that includes Grackles, New World Blackbirds and Orioles. They are large in stature with males being larger than females. In Mexico they have a limited distribution being found within the Atlantic Slope in the southern States of Veracruz, Puebla and Chiapas, at elevations below 1,200 m (3,940 feet). From a conservation perspective the Chestnut-headed Oropendola is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are found in lowland evergreen forest thickets and in bushes along the edges of forests in humid environments. They consume arthropods, small birds, small invertebrates and seasonal fruits and seeds when available.