Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Troupial, Curacao's National Bird

I am linking up with World Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

I am back from my week long vacation in Curacao, Dutch Antilles. We had a great time and saw some beautiful birds.  The Troupial is one of 25 or so of the New World Orioles. The Troupial or "Turpial" the Spanish name is the National Bird of Curacao and can also be found on Bonaire, Aruba and in South America.





The Troupial is large in size, has a long tail and a bulky bill. The feathers on the upper neck and upper breast stick out and make an uneven boundary between the orange on the bottom lower breast. The wings are mostly black except for a white streak the run the length of the wing. The eyes are yellow and surrounding each eye is a bright blue area of naked skin.












I am showing various angles and shots of different Troupials we saw during our week long visit to Curacao.







Above, you can see the size of the Troupial compared to the smaller Bananaquit sitting on the feeder.



I think the eyes and colors on the Troupial are gorgeous on this beautiful bird.  I wanted to show the difference between the Troupial and our own State Bird of Maryland below. As you can see there are many differences. The blue around the eye and the black on the head nd neck area are some of the differences  I have noticed.
















I hope you enjoyed my Troupial from Curacao and to see more beautiful birds
check out Springman's World Bird Wednesday  and for more nature photos and post
please visit  Michelle's Nature Notes.   Thanks to Springman and to Michelle for hosting these fun memes. And I always appreciate the comments. :)))

51 comments:

  1. really handsome birds! i so rarely get to see any orioles here - just an orchard oriole or two once in a blue moon. these are beauties! glad you had a good vacation!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Whoa! Lovely!
    Such bright colors! Terrific captures.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's hard for me not to feel jealous, Eileen. :)) You go to so many wonderful places to see beautiful birds.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful bird, I love the feather pattern they have on the front neck/breast area and the orange color is amazing! Glad you had a wonderful trip, welcome back.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh my, what a stunning bird. When I first saw it, I thought "oriole" And there you said it was a new world oriole. Thanks for sharing. I hope I can one day get back to posting on WBW. For now I'm not getting captures of birds. *Sigh* Have a great week. Jo

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wonderful wonderful wonderful!!! I bet it was incredible. How fun and tropical:)!!! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wonderful shots, such a pretty bird ....magnificent colors....
    Love greetings, Karin

    ReplyDelete
  8. REally enjoyed seeing these bright, cheerful looking birds!

    ReplyDelete
  9. They're beautiful!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, what a stunning bird! It almost looks like a sculpture with those captivating eyes.

    ReplyDelete
  11. wow! what a gorgeous bird!!!! his markings and bright yellow with black!! terrific pictures!

    his eyes are like the little Vireo i snapped a picture of a few weeks ago...like those tiny craft bubble eyes.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow, this bird is just fantastic and you got some great captures!

    ReplyDelete
  13. The striking beady eye, and the vibrant colors. It draws me in every time. Found you on World Bird Wednesday.

    ReplyDelete
  14. wow, seems to be a great place for birding. Such graphical colorful birds. Must have been fun to see.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful bird! Such vibrant color. Great captures, bet it was a fabulous vacation on Curacao!

    ReplyDelete
  16. The Oriole is quite something to look at, and you have put it in your header, really great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Eileen , what a fabulous photo for your topper! A great trip you did! When it's next to the glorious tropical yellow flowers; what a fantastic image. Was a week long enough I might wonder?! I'm not exactly sure where it is on the map; will have to search it out. How long travelling for you?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wow, what a beautiful bird.
    Great shots.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Beautiful birds. You got some great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh my, they are really handsome birds!! Great captured by you :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Awesome shots of a really cool bird Eileen! I love Orioles but this tropical version with the blue around the eyes is just magnificent!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love how you compared this beautiful bird to the equally beautiful Baltimore Oriole.
    A super post Eileen!

    ReplyDelete
  23. WoW...what a beautiful bird, you got some amazing pictures!! there is something about that color and those stricking eyes!!

    soooo happy you had a wonderful vacation, i have missed your updates!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Great pictures you show.
    Wishing you a good day.
    Hanne Bente / hbt.finus.dk

    ReplyDelete
  25. These are indeed stunning birrds! Fantastic captures!

    ReplyDelete
  26. That is a wonderful looking bird, thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Very beautiful bird. Love the color combinations.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Beautiful with sharply contra things bright orange and black.
    I love all your birds.
    Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  29. What a great looking bird! Black and yellow is always a winning look!

    Stewart M - Australia

    ReplyDelete
  30. This bird in your photo is like an art piece and it is art from our wonderful nature. You made beautiful pictures, Eileen!
    My son`s family spent two weeks in Curacao too, they loved it!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thank you, yes, I certainly enjoyed seeing this colourful and interesting bird. Certainly more colourful than the birds I hunted in our arid lands over the last 12 days.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Wonderful photos of a really stunning bird Eileen! I love the ones among the yellow blossom. It was good to get a real idea of its size by seeing it next to the little bird on the feeder too.

    I also enjoyed your previous post. How nice that you are doing such valuable work! I loved the photo of the Ovenbird which reminded me a lot of our Song Thrush.

    ReplyDelete
  33. The birds are so exotic and beautiful. Great shots.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Wow what a kool looking bird that is Eileen. Reminds me of my wife and I trips to the Canary Islands. After enduring hideous winters, it's always nice to escape to the tropics.

    ReplyDelete
  35. They are as beautiful as the orioles that I find over here in Malaysia.

    ReplyDelete
  36. What a wonderful place to vacation. My friend went there and really enjoyed it..Love this bird's colors.. Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  37. They are beautiful and amazing!!! Thanks for sharing your Photos!!

    ReplyDelete
  38. What a beautiful bird! I love the last picture of the Troupial.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Awesome shots of a cool bird! Love his markings :)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Gorgeous yellow! So different than the other birds (the ones local to your area) that you have posted.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Hui Eileen, These slightly resemble Orchard Oriels. I have never been to Central America and have never seen a Trupiat. Have an outstanding day tomorrow! Excellent pictures, by the way!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Baltimore Oriole is so pretty. I have seen one yesterday here in our backyard my first time in almost 8 years I live here in Michigan. ^_^

    Water World Wednesday

    ReplyDelete
  43. Birds and blooms, does it get any better than that?

    ReplyDelete
  44. These are so beautiful! What a lovely vacation spot.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Welcome home Eileen. It looks like a beautiful place to visit, had never heard of it. Beautiful birds too!

    ReplyDelete
  46. I like yellow birds, in Singapore, we get the orio.

    ReplyDelete
  47. What a beautiful bird!They look like a fairly large bird.Have a great weekend,& thanks for sharing,phyllis

    ReplyDelete
  48. Oh wow, such gorgeous birds!!! Tropical and colorful goes hand in hand.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Eileen those are wonderful. You pick the best birding spots for your vacations!! Interesting to compare and contrast these beauties with your very own oriole. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete

Hello, thank you for visiting my blog. I always appreciate your comments.

BTW, Anonymous comments unless a name is included will not be published. Also, comments with links will be deleted.

Have a happy day, Eileen

Happy Monday!

Wishing everyone a great day and a ha ppy new week! "Sometimes miracles are just good people with kind hearts." Rick's Cafe, N...