The Venezuelan tropical (Icterus icterus) is one of about 25 or so species of New World orioles. New World orioles are a group of birds in the genus Icterus of the blackbird family.
The Venezuelan Troupial, the national bird of this South American country has more than 25 species spread around several regions. It can be found in countries such as Puerto Rico, Colombia, Guinas, Curacao, Argentina and Aruba.
The Venezuelan Troupial is a large bird with elongated tail and massive bill. It varies in color pattern but it its head and the upper portion of its breast are black. This bird can easily be identified with the feathers on the upper portion of its breast and neck sticking outward. This creates a distinct border between the underside of the Troupial, which is mostly orange in color, and its black portion. A typical Troupial’s dominant color is orange which can mostly be found on its lower and upper portion. Aside from this, you can easily differentiate Troupial from other type of birds with its black-colored shoulders. When the Troupial closes its wings, you can see white streaks extending to the wings up to its upper back portion. Troupials usually have yellow eyes with the area around the eyes in blue.
Troupials do not know how to make their own nest. What they do instead is invade the nests of other birds or use one that’s been abandoned. Troupials are capable of aggressive attacks to drive away other birds from its nest. Their breeding period is about 6 months starting from March to September. A troupial’s egg hatches in two weeks and a single bird can have as much as 3 to 4 eggs at a time.
Diet: fruit and mealworms