Tawny-shouldered blackbird

The tawny-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius humeralis) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in Cuba and Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti). It is a vagrant in the United States (to the Florida Keys).

Tawny-shouldered blackbird
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Icteridae
Genus:	Agelaius
Species:	A. humeralis
Binomial name
Agelaius humeralis (Vigors, 1827)
Subspecies
Agelaius humeralis humeralis Agelaius humeralis scopulus
Range of A. humeralis (note: map is missing distribution in the Dominican Republic)

Description

Measuring 20 cm (7.9 in) long, this highly social species is entirely black, save for the namesake brown-orange patch at the shoulder. The patch may not be visible when the wings are folded.^[2]

Taxonomy

Two subspecies are described:^[3]

• A. h. humeralis – (Vigors, 1827): nominate, found in Cuba and Hispaniola
• A. h. scopulus – Garrido, 1970: found on Cayo Cantiles (east of Isla de la Juventud off southwestern Cuba)

Breeding

They breed from April to August, laying 3–4 greenish-white eggs spotted with brown in a cup-shaped nest that is lined with soft materials and placed in a tree.^[2]

Diet and habitat

Tawny-shouldered blackbirds eat insects, seeds, nectar, fruit, and small lizards.^[2] Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, pastureland, and heavily degraded former forest.