AI reconstruction created with Nano Banana 2 · 1K, grounded in the profile’s documented taxonomy, habitat, natural-history sources, and an open-license visual reference when available. It is an interpretive image, not documentary evidence. Image policy →

Verified source photographU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast RegionCC-BY · View source ↗

PRB-0337Passeriformes

Yellow-shouldered Blackbird

Mariquita

Agelaius xanthomus

Puerto Rico endemicIUCN EN · Endangered

The yellow-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius xanthomus), known in Puerto Rican Spanish as mariquita de Puerto Rico or capitán, is a species of blackbird endemic to Puerto Rico. It has black plumage with a prominent yellow patch on the wing. Adult males and females are of similar appearance. The species is predominantly insectivorous.

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FamilyIcteridaeTroupials and Allies

Puerto Rico occurrencePuerto Rico endemicAvibase inferred core 380

Primary habitatCoastal dry forest and scrub; mangrove; pasture; offshore/island landscapes; Coastal dry forest; scrub; mangrove; pasture; Mona dry scrub and island habitatsCoastal dry forest and scrub; mangrove; pasture; offshore/island landscapes; Coastal dry forest; scrub; mangrove; pasture; Mona dry scrub and island habitats

Primary dietInvertebrateInvertivore

Average mass38.440000000000005 gGlobal trait estimate

MovementSedentary / residentInsessorial

Sound archive

Hear its voice

Explore real songs and calls. The spectrogram turns each sound into a visual trace of time and frequency.

XC793991Recording 1 of 3call

SpectrogramAgelaius xanthomus

0:000:22

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Sound recorded by Barry Edmonston · XC793991 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Visualization by Stichting Xeno-canto voor Natuurgeluiden.

Every recording retains the creator, catalogue number, and license published by Xeno-canto. Metadata via GBIF ↗

Island profile

Catalog scopeAvibase inferred core 380

About the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird

Conservation

Endangered

IUCN EN; DNER EN; EN at species; ESA Endangered; Endangered at species

Global IUCN: EN
Puerto Rico DNER: EN; EN at species
Federal ESA: Endangered; Endangered at species
Critical habitat: Yes; Yes at species

Natural history

How it lives

Habitat: Coastal dry forest and scrub; mangrove; pasture; offshore/island landscapes; Coastal dry forest; scrub; mangrove; pasture; Mona dry scrub and island habitats
Elevation: 0–200 m
Nest: Platform; Tree cavity; Cup / bowl
Clutch: 1–4 eggs
Social behavior: Not resolved

Keep exploring

This bird belongs to 17 paths through the atlas.

The complete catalogAll Birds of Puerto Rico402 birds →Puerto Rican originalsLiving Endemic Birds19 birds →Found nowhere elsePuerto Rico's Endemic Birds27 birds →Birds by habitatCoastal Birds62 birds →Birds by habitatForest Birds159 birds →Birds by habitatGrassland & Farmland Birds65 birds →Birds by habitatSeabirds & Open-Ocean Birds41 birds →Birds by habitatShrubland & Scrub Birds47 birds →Birds by habitatWetland Birds116 birds →ConservationBirds with Critical Habitat in Puerto Rico10 birds →ConservationEndangered Birds9 birds →ConservationFederally Listed Birds14 birds →ConservationGlobally Threatened Birds34 birds →ConservationPuerto Rico DNER-Listed Birds28 birds →Occurrence in Puerto RicoBreeding Birds55 birds →Occurrence in Puerto RicoResident Birds47 birds →Bird familyTroupials and Allies (Icteridae)14 birds →

Evidence trail

Sources, media & further reading

eBird species profile↗Macaulay Library media↗iNaturalist observations↗GBIF occurrence data↗BirdLife species factsheet↗Xeno-canto recordings↗Wikipedia in English↗Wikipedia en Español↗Media source · flickr.com↗Source record 1↗Source record 2↗Source record 3↗Source record 4↗Source record 5↗Source record 6↗

Research note: Nominate and Mona forms are represented separately in S10-S11 | Population/subspecies row supplements species record E16 | Older DRNA subspecies treatment; validate current recognition