Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this page were taken by Silvia Centrón, Matt Denton, Myriam Velázquez, Fredí Ramírez and José Luis Cartes and are used with their permission.
SAFFRON-COWLED BLACKBIRD Xanthopsar flavus
Sadly, this handsome marsh blackbird is now in a serious state of decline. It requires natural, seasonally-flooded grasslands, a habitat which is diminishing rapidly as a result of drainage for agriculture. To compund the problem the birds are nomadic, wondering over large areas and so needing large areas of pristine habitat. On the plus side Paraguay remains the best place on earth to see this beautiful species, with flocks of 30 or more birds regularly encountered in some areas.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPAVE1985PH) Adult male lateral view, Kanguery, PN San Rafael (José Luis Cartes undated).
FIGURE 2 - (FPAVE1986PH) Adult male singing, dorsal view, Kanguery, PN San Rafael (José Luis Cartes undated).
FIGURE 3 - (FPAVE1987PH) Adult male ventral, Estancia La Graciela, Departamento Misiones (Silvia Centrón March 2009).
FIGURE 4 - (FPAVE1988PH) Adult female ventral, Estancia La Graciela, Departamento Misiones (Silvia Centrón March 2009).
FIGURE 5 - (FPAVE1991PH) Adult female ventral, Tapyta, Departamento Caaguazú (Fredí Ramírez undated).
FIGURE 6 - (FPAVE1989PH) Flock, Estancia Kanguery, PN San Rafael (Silvia Centrón February 2010).
FIGURE 7 - (FPAVE1990PH) Flock in flight, Estancia La Graciela, Departamento Misiones (Silvia Centrón March 2009).
FIGURE 8 - (FPAVE3075PH) Adult male singing, Accesso a Ayolas, Departamento Misiones (Matt Denton October 2010).
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Xanthopsar flavus
1 (FPAVE1992RE) Call recorded Sudameris, PN San Rafael, Departamento Itapúa (Myriam Velázquez November 2001).
Click the links to hear the calls. Longer versions of this call can be downloaded from the Paraguay page of our partner website Xeno-Canto - the largest collection of freely downloadable Neotropical bird calls available online.