NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Cuban Oriole
Icterus melanopsis (Wagler, 1829)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Cuban oriole (Icterus melanopsis) is a species of songbird in the family Icteridae. It is endemic to Cuba.
Adults measure 20 cm (7.9 in) long with a 10 cm (3.9 in) wing length. They are black with yellow patches on the shoulders, underwings, rump and undertail. Sexes are alike. Juvenile birds are olive while immature birds are olive with a black face and throat.
The taxon was formerly lumped with Bahama orioles (Icterus northropi), Hispaniolan orioles (Icterus dominicensis), and Puerto Rican orioles (Icterus portoricensis) into a single species known as the Greater Antillean oriole until all four birds were elevated to full species status in 2010.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and plantations.
Wikipedia contributors, Cuban oriole; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:20:54.594394+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Icterus melanopsis (Wagler, 1829)
- Name authority
- (Wagler, 1829)
- Common name
- Cuban Oriole
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Icteridae
- Genus
- Icterus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyIcteridae
- genusIcterus Brisson, 1760
- speciesIcterus melanopsis (Wagler, 1829)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Icterus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Martinique OrioleIcterus bonana (Linnaeus, 1766) | IcteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Orchard OrioleIcterus spurius (Linnaeus, 1766) | IcteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Epaulet OrioleIcterus cayanensis (Linnaeus, 1766) | IcteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-vented OrioleIcterus wagleri P. L. Sclater, 1857 | IcteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-backed OrioleIcterus chrysater (R. P. Lesson, 1844) | IcteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Montserrat OrioleIcterus oberi Lawrence, 1880 | IcteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| St. Lucia OrioleIcterus laudabilis P. L. Sclater, 1871 | IcteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Altamira OrioleIcterus gularis (Wagler, 1829) | IcteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bahama OrioleIcterus northropi J. A. Allen, 1890 | IcteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-backed OrioleIcterus abeillei (R. P. Lesson, 1839) | IcteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Orange OrioleIcterus auratus Bonaparte, 1850 | IcteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Orange-crowned OrioleIcterus auricapillus Cassin, 1848 | IcteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Icterus dominicensis melanopsis (Wagler, 1829) (Wagler, 1829) | synonym |
| Psarocolius melanopsis Wagler, 1829 Wagler, 1829 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1259581 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:DDCX4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.