Velvet-fronted Grackle
A species of Velvet-fronted Grackle Scientific name : Lampropsar tanagrinus Genus : Velvet-fronted Grackle
Velvet-fronted Grackle, A species of Velvet-fronted Grackle
Botanical name: Lampropsar tanagrinus
Genus: Velvet-fronted Grackle
Content
Description General Info
Description
The male velvet-fronted grackle grows to about 22 cm (9 in) and the female about 19 cm (7.5 in). Both sexes are entirely black, with a slight bluish gloss on the dorsal surfaces. The feathers at the front of the crown are very short and dense, giving a velvet-like appearance at close quarters. The beak is short, conical and pointed, the iris is dark and the tail is long and somewhat rounded. The calls produced include a crackling "chack" and a whistling "cheziit", and the song, sometimes sung at dusk from a perch, is a moderately-musical rapid gurgling sound. This species could be confused with the shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis), but their calls and habits are quite different. 
Size
20 cm
Nest Placement
Cavity
Feeding Habits
Velvet-fronted Grackle's diet mainly consists of beetles and winged ants. They typically forage in lower to middle vegetation and on aquatic plants, usually in small groups of 3–30, occasionally up to 100.
Habitat
The habitat of velvet-fronted Grackle typically encompasses regions near bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, and marshes. These birds are found in a variety of forested environments including primary and secondary forests, as well as riparian woodlands. They also inhabit shady plantations and are known to reside in mangroves, particularly in the Amazon, where they are associated with várzea or igapó vegetation, and in eastern Bolivia's seasonally flooded savannas.
Dite type
Frugivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Fruit
Behavior
This species often congregates with others of its kind in small groups of up to about twenty birds. Sometimes these coalesce with groups of tanagers and caciques. The birds move noisily through the canopy, foraging high and low, and sometimes hopping around on floating vegetation on lakes. The diet includes insects such as winged ants and beetles but is poorly described. In Guyana it breeds in March, in Ecuador in September and in Bolivia in October and February.
Distribution Area
The velvet-fronted grackle has two separate populations; one is in Venezuela and Guyana; the other is in southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, northern Peru, western Brazil and northern and central Bolivia. Its typical habitat is várzea forests which periodically become flooded, forest borders and swamps near ponds; rivers and lakes.
Species Status
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified L. tanagrinus as being of "least concern". This is on the basis that the bird has a very wide range, the population is believed to be steady, and the bird is fairly common. The total population is estimated to be over 10,000 mature individuals, with a total range of about 2,420,000 km (934,400 sq mi).
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Genus
Velvet-fronted Grackle Species
Velvet-fronted Grackle 
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