<trp-post-container data-trp-post-id='359758'>Red-rumped Cacique

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En bref

  • Scientific Name: Cacicus haemorrhous
  • Spanish Name: Arrendajo culirrojo
  • Family: Icteridae
  • Known Nicknames: Red-rumped Cacique, Yellow-rumped Cacique
  • Average Length: 27–30 cm / 10.6–11.8 in
  • Average Weight: 70–90 g / 2.5–3.2 oz
  • Envergure : N/A
  • Key Feature: Bright red or yellow rump contrasting with glossy black body
  • Primary Diet: Primarily Frugivore and Insectivore
  • Range: Amazon Basin, the Guianas, and eastern Brazil
  • Habitat: Tropical lowland rainforest, forest edges, and gallery forests near water
  • Social Structure: Highly Social; breeds in colonies
  • Nesting/Breeding: Woven hanging nests in trees, often in colonies
  • Statut de conservation : Préoccupation mineure (LC)
  • Évolution démographique : Stable

The Red-rumped Cacique (*Cacicus haemorrhous*) is a strikingly social and vocal bird of South American lowland forests, instantly recognizable by its glossy black plumage contrasted with a vivid, crimson-red patch on its lower back and upper tail coverts—the feature that gives it its name. Males are slightly larger than females, both possessing a pale yellow, pointed bill and bright blue eyes that stand out against their dark faces. A master architect, this cacique is famous for weaving intricate, pendulum-like hanging nests from plant fibers, which dangle conspicuously from isolated trees, often in large, noisy colonies alongside other icterids. Its raucous, flute-like calls and chattering songs, combined with its bold, acrobatic foraging for fruits and insects, make it a charismatic and unforgettable presence in the canopy.

Faits amusants

The Red-rumped Cacique is a master of deception: its bright red rump isn't just for show—it flashes this patch during aggressive displays to startle rivals, a trick known as "flash behavior." They are also compulsive kleptoparasites, often snatching food directly from the beaks of other birds mid-flight. Unique among caciques, they build their pendulous, woven nests almost exclusively over water, sometimes colonizing a single tree with hundreds of nests that sway like giant, noisy fruit. Males practice a bizarre "song duel" where they hang upside-down from a branch, flapping their wings while belting out a complex, metallic screech to impress females.

Habitats et répartition

The Red-rumped Cacique inhabits lowland tropical and subtropical forests, favoring humid environments such as riverine forests, swamp forests, and forest edges. It is also commonly found in secondary growth, plantations, and clearings with scattered trees, often near water bodies. Its geographical range spans much of northern and central South America, occurring from eastern Colombia and the Guianas through Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, extending across the Amazon Basin into Brazil and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina.

Comportements & Reproduction

Red-rumped Caciques are highly social and breed colonially, often nesting in large, noisy groups alongside other species like oropendolas. Their most distinctive reproductive strategy involves constructing long, hanging pouch nests woven from plant fibers, which are typically suspended from isolated trees to reduce predation. Within the colony, a dominant male establishes a display court on a nearby branch, performing elaborate visual and vocal rituals to attract females; he will mate with multiple females, while subordinate males may attempt sneaky copulations. Females are solely responsible for nest building, incubation, and chick rearing, laying two eggs per clutch. A unique behavioral adaptation is their use of colonial nesting as a defense mechanism: the concentrated noise and activity deters many predators, and the females synchronize their breeding cycles to swamp local threats with a sudden abundance of nests.

Alimentation

The Red-rumped Cacique is primarily frugivorous, with fruit—especially large, lipid-rich palm fruits and berries—making up the bulk of its diet. However, it is also an opportunistic omnivore that actively forages for protein, consuming a wide variety of large insects such as katydids, beetles, and caterpillars, along with spiders. An interesting aspect of its feeding behavior is its frequent association with mixed-species foraging flocks, where it follows groups of army ants or other insectivorous birds to capture arthropods flushed from the understory. Additionally, these caciques are known to occasionally raid the nests of other birds to eat eggs or nestlings, and they have been observed hanging upside-down from branches or vines to access fruit and prey that other canopy birds cannot reach.

Couleurs

The Red-rumped Cacique is predominantly glossy black with a striking, bright crimson-red patch on its lower back and upper tail coverts, which is unique among caciques. It has a pale yellow bill and blue-grey eyes, with no significant camouflage adaptations as its bold coloration serves for social signaling rather than concealment.

Distribution Map

Places linked to this species. A sighting is never guaranteed.