Family New World Blackbirds (Icteridae)
Least Concern
Nicaraguan Grackle (Quiscalus nicaraguensis)
Taxonomy
French: Quiscale du Nicaragua German: Nicaraguagrackel Spanish: Zanate nicaragüense
Taxonomy:
Quiscalus nicaraguensis
Salvin and Godman
, 1891,Momotombo, Lake Managua, Nicaragua
.Distribution:
S Nicaragua (shores of L Managua and L Nicaragua) and adjacent N Costa Rica (L Caño Negro, on R Frío).
Descriptive notes
Male 29 cm, 94 g; female 24 cm, 58 g. Male is black with marked violet and green gloss, gloss more violaceous on underparts, tail-coverts and tail; tail long and strongly... read more
Voice
Song by male during display a series of accelerated ascending whistles, also a descending “kleeep”... read more
Habitat
Open lakeshores, riverbanks, marshes and wet cattle pastures.
Food and feeding
Feeds on wild seeds, also insects and other arthropods; probably also small vertebrates. Forages mostly on ground. Follows grazing cattle,... read more
Breeding
Season Mar–Sept (Costa Rica). Monogamous or polygynous. Breeds in small colonies, with up to ten nests together in trees and shrubs near... read more
Movements
Apparently resident. Possibly some short seasonal movements.
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Lake Nicaragua Marshes Secondary Area. Uncommon to locally common. Relatively poorly known. Estimated extent of... read more
Monotypic.