Cacique des montagnes

En bref

  • Scientific Name: Cacicus chrysonotus
  • Spanish Name: Cacique montañero
  • Family: Icteridae
  • Known Nicknames: Bolivian Mountain Cacique, Golden-winged Cacique
  • Average Length: 28–32 cm / 11–13 in
  • Average Weight: 80–120 g / 2.8–4.2 oz
  • Envergure : N/A
  • Key Feature: Striking yellow wing patch and rump contrasting with black body
  • Primary Diet: Primarily Frugivore and Insectivore
  • Range: Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and northwestern Argentina
  • Habitat: Montane cloud forest and humid subtropical forest
  • Structure sociale : Très sociable
  • Nesting/Breeding: Trees (pendulous woven nests)
  • Statut de conservation : Préoccupation mineure (LC)
  • Évolution démographique : Stable

High in the misty cloud forests of the Andes, the Mountain Cacique (*Cacicus chrysonotus*) is a striking social bird known for its brilliant plumage and communal nesting habits. This medium-sized oriole relative boasts a sleek, entirely jet-black body that dramatically contrasts with a vivid, golden-yellow rump, lower belly, and the base of its tail, while its pale, piercing blue-grey eye and sharply pointed, pale bill give it a regal expression. A unique feature is its long, pendulous, woven nest—often hanging conspicuously from a single branch tip in a colony—where multiple pairs raise their young together. Their loud, clear whistles and chattering calls echo through the canopy, making them a vibrant and audible emblem of their high-altitude home.

Faits amusants

Despite its striking yellow and black plumage, the Mountain Cacique is a master of disguise in another way: its bright blue eyes are a rare trait among birds, making it stand out in the high-altitude cloud forests of the Andes. It is a highly social and noisy bird, often gathering in boisterous flocks that mob predators together, but it also exhibits a quirky kleptoparasitic behavior, sometimes stealing food from other birds or even raiding hummingbird feeders. Its nest is a marvel of engineering—a long, hanging pouch woven from plant fibers that can reach over a meter in length, which it often builds in colonies near wasp nests, using the aggressive insects as a natural defense against egg-stealing monkeys and tree snakes.

Habitats et répartition

The Mountain Cacique (Cacicus chrysonotus) primarily inhabits humid montane forests, cloud forests, and forest edges along the eastern slopes of the Andes. It is most commonly found at elevations ranging from 1,500 to 3,300 meters, favoring areas with tall, mature trees often near streams or rivers. Its geographical range extends from central Peru through Bolivia into northwestern Argentina, with isolated populations also recorded in southern Ecuador and Colombia. Within this range, it is locally common but patchily distributed, typically associated with subtropical or temperate highland forests where it forages in the canopy for insects and fruit.

Comportements & Reproduction

Mountain Caciques are highly social, often forming noisy flocks that forage and roost together, though they are not typically cooperative breeders. Their mating system is presumed to be polygynous or promiscuous, with males performing elaborate visual and vocal displays during the breeding season to attract females. Nesting is solitary, with females exclusively constructing a long, hanging pouch nest woven from plant fibers, usually placed at the tip of a high branch. The female alone incubates the clutch of two eggs and feeds the nestlings, while males contribute no direct parental care but may defend the general territory. A unique strategy is the use of colonial nesting sites—multiple females may build nests in close proximity in the same tree, providing some collective vigilance against predators without forming a true cooperative system.

Alimentation

The Mountain Cacique is primarily frugivorous, with fruit making up the bulk of its diet, particularly favoring berries and small, soft fruits from trees and epiphytes in the high-altitude cloud forests it inhabits. However, it is also an opportunistic omnivore, regularly supplementing its fruit intake with a significant amount of animal protein. It actively forages for large insects, spiders, and caterpillars, often probing moss and bark in a manner similar to woodcreepers. An interesting behavioral fact about its feeding is that it frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks, allowing it to exploit food sources disturbed by other birds, such as tanagers and antbirds, and it has been observed plundering the nests of other small birds to consume eggs and nestlings when the opportunity arises.

Couleurs

The Mountain Cacique is predominantly glossy black with a striking bright yellow rump, lower belly, and undertail coverts. It has a pale yellow bill and blue-grey eyes. Its black plumage provides camouflage in shadowy montane forest understories, while the yellow patches may serve as social signals rather than concealment.