What is the Icteridae family?
Q: What is the Icteridae family?
A: The Icteridae family is a group of New World songbirds that are usually brightly colored and vary greatly in size, shape, behavior, and coloration.
Q: What species are included in the Icteridae family?
A: The Icteridae family includes the New World blackbirds, New World orioles, the bobolink, meadowlarks, grackles, cowbirds, oropendolas and caciques.
Q: How are Icterids unusual in songbirds?
A: Icterids are unusual in songbirds because they have considerable sexual dimorphism, which means that males and females of the same species have significant physical differences.
Q: What is the smallest Icterid species and how big and heavy is it?
A: The smallest Icterid species is the orchard oriole, with an average length of 15 cm (6 in) and weight of 18 grams (0.040 pounds) for females.
Q: What is the largest Icterid species and how big and heavy is it?
A: The largest Icterid species is the Amazonian oropendola, with males measuring 52 cm (20 in) and weighing about 550 grams (1.21 pounds).
Q: What is the gaping adaptation shared by the icterids?
A: The gaping adaptation is where the skull allows icterids to open their bills strongly rather than passively, enabling them to force open gaps to get at hidden food.
Q: Are Old World blackbirds and orioles related to Icterids?
A: No, Old World blackbirds and orioles are distantly related to Icterids.
