Icteridae Troupials and Allies

From small orioles to the mighty oropendolas, this family spans a broad variation in body size, nesting ecology, and mating systems. Across this broad range, a remarkable number of species share distinctive liquid whistle notes in their songs. Some oropendolas have the greatest sexual size dimorphism of any passerine and an aggression-based harem mating system to match. The Bobolink is one of the longest-distance songbird migrants from North America, flying out over the Atlantic from the northeastern United States in fall to its wintering grounds in southern South America. As in a few other groups, these blackbirds have a well-developed ability to open their sharp-tipped bills strongly, allowing them to stab and gape to pry off bark or open up soft fruits.