The Mexican cacique or yellow-winged cacique (''Cassiculus melanicterus'') is a species of
cacique
A ''cacique'' (Latin American ; ; feminine form: ''cacica'') was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, the indigenous inhabitants at European contact of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The term is a Spa ...
in the family
Icteridae
Icterids () or New World blackbirds make up a family, the Icteridae (), of small to medium-sized, often colorful, New World passerine birds. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange, or red. The ...
. It is found only on the west coast of
Mexico and the northernmost edge of
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
. It is
monotypic in its own genus.
Its natural
habitats are subtropical or tropical dry
forests and heavily degraded former forest.
The genus ''Cassiculus'' was introduced by the English ornithologist
William John Swainson
William John Swainson FLS, FRS (8 October 1789 – 6 December 1855), was an English ornithologist, malacologist, conchologist, entomologist and artist.
Life
Swainson was born in Dover Place, St Mary Newington, London, the eldest son of ...
in 1827.
References
Icteridae
Birds of Guatemala
Birds of Mexico
Birds described in 1825
Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Icteridae-stub