Chestnut-capped Blackbird

18.5 cm. Adult male is mostly black, with the crown, throat and upper chest rusty brown. <NThe female is olive brown, with lighter underparts: dark spots on the mantle and streaks on the underparts. Throat buffy. <NThe young male has an intermediate plumage between the male and female, and black feather edgings below gives it a barred appearance. <NThe juvenile is like the female, but more buffy brown, strongly streaked below. Call "chick", "tsiew", Song a fast warble with a broad low "tcheeeee" at the end of the strophe vocalization 2 . Song delivered while having tail spread and plumage fluffed out with vibrating wings. At breeding ground males attack any other bird. Gregarious, in larger or smaller flocks and family groups, breeds in swampy areas with cattails, high grass etc., raiding rice fields and other crops outside the breeding season. Colonial breeder, mostly inland. Not uncommon in marshes and reed beds, forages in high reeds, on the ground in adjacent drier pastures, fields, ditches. May be frequently found away from marshes in drier areas. Throughout. In Estado S<C4>o Paulo widely and commonly distributed inland, e.g at<8E>Cubatao, Cantareira, Pontal near Franca, Tremembe ^119 . Up to 850 meters ^133 11712 Song and calls. Serra das Rosas S<C4>o Paulo, near Franca, 11<10>7<10>98. Rain in the morning, then sunny, 27<91>C. Open woods, pastures.: 12640 Song of group. Serra da Canastra, 11<10>11<10>98. Cloudy, 25<91>C. Pond with cattail marsh. With /Saltator similis .: 6282 Calls, song. Serra da Canastra, 11<10>11<10>98. Cloudy, 25<91>C. Pastures. With /Columbina squammata, Pardirallus nigricans .: 4382 > Adult male: 11868 > Adult female: 9833 > Juvenile: 2854 > Immature male: