Icterus wagleri
The Black-vented Oriole (*Icterus wagleri*) is a striking New World oriole, characterized by the sharp contrast of its glossy black and brilliant orange-yellow plumage. Adult males boast a sleek, glossy black hood, back, wings, and tail, beautifully offset by a bright orange-yellow lower breast, belly, and undertail coverts—the namesake 'vent'—along with prominent orange shoulder patches. Females exhibit a similar pattern but are generally duller, often with an olive-tinged back and a more ye...
Occupies a variety of dry to semi-humid deciduous and pine-oak woodlands, often favoring foothills, mountain slopes, and riparian areas with scattered tall trees; typically found from sea level up to 2,500 meters.
Feeds primarily on a diverse array of insects, including caterpillars, beetles, and ants, supplemented heavily by nectar from various flowering plants and ripe fruits, particularly berries.
Black-vented Orioles are diurnal and generally solitary or found in pairs during the breeding season, though they may join mixed-species flocks in winter. Males vigorously defend breeding territories through persistent, complex songs and visual displays, including bowing and wing-spreading. They ...
The Black-vented Oriole is distributed across a broad region from central-eastern Sonora and western Chihuahua in Mexico, extending south through most of mainland Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, and into northwestern Nicaragua. It is primarily a resident species, with individual...
Least Concern
- One of the few orioles that is largely resident throughout its range, undertaking primarily altitudinal rather than long-distance migrations. - Its species name, *wagleri*, honors German ornithologist Johann Georg Wagler, who first described several bird species. - The "vent" in its common name...