Chopi Blackbird

The Chopi Blackbird (Gnorimopsar chopi) is a medium-sized, glossy black icterid (New World blackbird) in the family Icteridae, native to open woodland savanna, gallery forest edges, and agricultural land across much of central and eastern South America, including Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay. The genus Gnorimopsar is monotypic, containing only this species. The Chopi Blackbird is celebrated among South American birds for its remarkable vocal abilities — males are accomplished mimics and songsters, producing complex, melodious songs incorporating imitations of other bird species, and they have long been kept as cage birds for their singing, particularly in Brazil. This tradition of capture for the pet trade has historically posed a significant threat to local populations in some areas. Despite its cage-bird popularity, the species is broadly distributed and the IUCN classifies it as Least Concern. Chopi Blackbirds feed on seeds, grain, insects, fruit, and human food scraps, making them adaptable to a range of disturbed habitats. They often associate with cattle in open pastures, following livestock to catch disturbed invertebrates. They breed colonially or in loose groups, nesting in holes or cavities in trees and fence posts. The distinctive, rolling song remains a characteristic sound of Brazilian cerrado and grassland habitats.