Birds · Passeriformes · Icteridae
Yellow-shouldered Blackbird
Agelaius xanthomus
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
The yellow-shouldered blackbird, known in Spanish as mariquita de Puerto Rico and also as sargento puertorriqueño, capitán and turpial de hombros amarillos, is a species of passerine bird of the family Icteridae endemic to Puerto Rico and the small islands around it. It is endangered because of the destruction of its natural habitat, brood parasitism by the shiny cowbird and the action of various predators such as mongooses and rats. It is the symbol bird of the town of Cabo Rojo.
Weight
35 g – 41 g
Size
20 cm – 23 cm
Lifespan
13 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Colony
Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Estimated population
Around 1,200 individuals
Fun facts
- Its decline was caused by the arrival of a brood parasite: the shiny cowbird colonised Puerto Rico in the 1950s and began laying eggs in the blackbird's nests, whose chicks died after being pushed out.
- Its recovery rests on cowbird traps and on nesting platforms set up in mangroves and on posts, an intensive management without which the species would probably already have gone.
- The subspecies of Mona Island, an uninhabited islet between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, survives in a separate and even smaller population.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Mangroves, coastal dry forest and coconut groves of south-western Puerto Rico and Mona
- Sexual maturity
- 12 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 13 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 3 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agelaius_xanthomus
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Yellow-shouldered Blackbird — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Puerto Rican Nightjar
Antrostomus noctitherus
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Cuban Brown Anole
Anolis sagrei
Spotted Eagle Ray
Aetobatus narinari
Puerto Rican Emerald
Riccordia maugaeus
Pallas's Mastiff Bat
Molossus molossus
How to help
The yellow-shouldered blackbird is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 1 real protected area — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about yellow-shouldered blackbird.
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