Troupial (Icterus icterus) Maybe Spotted N Central TX

I had mentioned in a recent post that a visiting friend (from the Yucatan jungle) and I had spotted a very uncommon bird, to our area, on my deck in March 07, or there abouts. It was visible to us for just a few minutes time in an oak tree at the end of my deck, eye level, 30 ft. from the window where we were inside (just long enough for me to find in books that is is not expected to be seen here). I think it lighted once on the deck and once on the railing that we saw. It did not visit the birdbath. I have not seen it since.

It looked similar to a North American Oriole but was not one that I can determine and was much larger than "our" Orioles. I think it was too large to be many of the commonly spotted Orioles.

I had just returned from visiting the very same friend at her jungle home in the Yucatan, 70 km south of Cancun, about a couple of miles inland. (She has a government sanctioned Spider Monkey and Toucan rescue operation and preserve.) I was there part of December 06, all of January 07, and part of February 07.

The first thing she said was "It looks just like one of our noisy birds"; the ones that do wake you up in the morning. I do believe it was just that, a Troupial (Icterus icterus), most common to South America as I can tell. But then again it could have been one of the many, many other Icterus. We like to think it "followed" us up here.

I did not get a picture.
What a coincidence that my Yucatan friend was here at the very moment it made itself visible.
And what a rare treat.

BTW... the more I look at links the more confused I get.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troupial

http://www.backyardnature.net/yucatan/orioles.htm

http://montereybay.com/creagrus/icterids.html

gg=alice

Troupial has never been recorded in the US, so I'm afraid that's highly unlikely. Check out Altamira Oriole and Scott's Oriole - both are large orioles, which do occur in Texas (mainly in the southwest, more occasionally elsewhere).

Resin

Thanks, Resin. I would think it would be an Altamira or Scotts but is was so much larger than our Cardinals that were right there in close proximity. The main thing that stands out in my mind is that is was so large, with other birds all around to compare size to. The typical North American Orioles, although I haven't seen that many up close and in the vicinity of other bird, aren't nearly as large as this bird was. It was much larger than an average sized hand, that you see in pictures, holding Orioles.

The bird that lives at my friend's preserve is a pretty large bird; much larger than a Jay or Mockingbird, and longer, including tail, than any Doves I've ever seen; not nearly as heavy as our crows, and not as "long" but approaching that, including tail feathers.

I'm stumped. I've spent many, many hours on my friends 2nd story open veranda, with "her" birds flying around and through and from isolated (somewhat) tall trees to others near the house. Many of the larger trees, and her precious Papayas, which she needs lots of to help offset the cost of "store bought" Papayas, that is virtually all that the Toucans eat, suffered greatly during hurricane Wilma, that did so much damage to Cancun and south.

In fact, she's told me stories of so many changes in incidence of fauna after Wilma. They even had visitations of particular night monkeys (I'll have to look it up or ask her) that were way out of range (normal habitat much further south) that had never been spotted in her area that she was aware of. They rescued an injured one, on their property, months after the hurricane, but it lived only a few hours after they brought it in and rushed it to the Veterinarian (maybe a Puma?). There is a possibility that they were escaped captive monkeys but she, more than likely, would have known about them prior to the hurricane or heard about them after. The main predator of the Spider Monkey is humans, btw.

I figure I need to start by finding out what "her" birds are. I think she told me the Mayans call "her" bird "the bird of death" or something like that, implying that when one is spotted, a death occurs soon afterwards. She doesn't think the "night monkeys" were escaped "captives" because of their behaviors and ability to survive uncaged. Even I can determine that pretty quickly.

BTW... none of her rescued orphan monkeys can ever return to the wild. It takes the mothers and group members years to teach a youngster to survive in the wild. Good for her rescues that they live on her and/or her human family (and me or another temporary Nanny; I'm chief Nanny when I'm there), just as they do with their "real" mothers, aunts, grandmothers, siblings, etc. until they are ready (they decide) to go into the humongous, multi-story pens, all with connecting race-ways. (Hurricane Wilma took down all the pens...The monkeys stayed in the various human habitats (they destroy everything with their curiousity and just plain "having fun") and dog crates during the multi-day hurricane; they started building new pens even before my friend had human roofs rebuilt and buildings dried and windows put back in.)They are fed throughout the day with food that is more nutritious and tasty than most humans I know consume. These are wild monkeys and NOT pets and yes they bite. The adults are capable of killing a human.

I could be totally cuckoo and, being the "Mayan Riviera" lots of beer and tequila flow in the evenings, when we finally stopped working for the day. I was so busy I really didn't get to do much serious "birding". By the time I realized I needed to get some books it was time to come home. Believe you me, I'll certainly be armed with books when I go back down.

gg=alice