New World Blackbirds (Icteridae)

Red-bellied Grackle (Hypopyrrhus pyrohypogaster) - HBW 16, p. 792

French: Carouge à ventre rouge German: Rotbauchstärling Spanish: Chango Ventrirrojo

Taxonomy: Cassicus pyrohypogaster de Tarragon, 1847, Colombia.
Molecular-genetic data indicate that this species’ closest relatives are Gymnomystax and Lampropsar, but that it has evolved in isolation for a long time (4 million years) and is highly distinctive. Monotypic.

Distribution: Colombian Andes from Antioquia S, discontinuously, to Putumayo.