The national animal of Venezuela is the troupial. This bird is found in Colombia, Venezuela and the Caribbean islands, previously part of a large species named troupial that was later split. They are large in size with a heavy bill and a long tail, with black head and upper breast. They are a very important Venezuelan symbol.
These majestic tropical birds are a sight to behold in their striking orange coats accented with black, and they appear as symbols in many different aspects of Venezuelan life such as on banknotes.
Despite the presence of the horse on the country’s flag and coat of arms, the troupial is the national animal.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Venezuela?
The national animal of Venezuela is the troupial, or Venezuelan troupial.
This bird is now its own species though was in the past part of a wider superspecies named troupial which was later split.
The name comes from the French word troupiale, from troupe meaning “troop” simply because they lived in flocks.
They are large in size, featuring a long tail and a large bill.
They tend to inhabit dry areas, such as woodland, forest, scrubland and plains, as well as sometimes open savannah.
They live on a diet of insects as well as many different varieties of fruit, and they even sometimes eat smaller birds and their eggs.
They breed from March to September, and are what are called obligate nest pirates.
This means they never make their own nests, and must instead find the nests of other species and bully them out of it, or simply find an abandoned nest.
They are more than capable of violently attacking other species for their nests.
They may even steal the nests of squirrels or mice.
As the country’s national animal and bird, the troupial appears of the reverse side of the 500 banknote.
Though they are found in a wider range, they are officially named the Venezuelan troupial, and are most commonly found in Venezuela as opposed to anywhere else.
They are very important national symbols in Venezuela, due to their connection with the country’s vast natural beauty and many colorful birds.
In the 2015 Miss International competition, Venezuela’s representative Edymar Martinez wore the image of the troupial as a national costume.
So, plainly, you can see that not only is it an important symbol of the country itself, but also of its people when they are abroad—the competition took place in Tokyo, Japan.
Why, then, is the troupial the country’s national animal?
Why is the troupial the national animal of Venezuela?
Depending on whom you ask, you may get a different answer to this question.
There is no single, official, widely accepted reason that the national animal of Venezuela is the troupial.
The simple answer is just that it is mostly native to the country and its bright orange feathers, contrasted with the black accent, and is a very striking and powerful image.
Birds in general are often considered symbols of freedom and liberation, and so this is certainly an important aspect of the troupial’s role in Venezuelan identity.
Again, though, while many countries make use of symbolic animals that represent very specific ideals, such as courage, the troupial is more just a symbol in and of itself representing Venezuela.
Many symbols work in this way; natives implicitly associate certain images with the countries they live in without a more specific idea of what they mean.
The best way to get an interesting answer to this question is to ask many Venezuelans—as I said, they may all have a different answer and each answer will be illuminative of something that is important to the identity of the nation.
One common confusion, though, is between orioles and troupials.
Is a troupial an oriole?
While they very closely resemble their relatives the orioles, troupials are larger, with heavier builds and distinctive wedge-shaped tails.
However, they are New World Orioles—but these orioles are not related to Old World orioles.
So, the answer is yes and no.
Troupials are not the same as species of oriole outside of the Americas, and orioles in the Americas are only called so because of a passing resemblance to Old World orioles.
They are part of the genus Ictuerus, which includes New World orioles.
Troupials are a bit different in some ways, as mentioned, though they are of course very similar as well.
Is the Venezuelan troupial endangered?
Fortunately, the troupial of Venezuela is not at all endangered and is listed as of least concern.
There are a large number in the wild and they appear to be thriving, and indeed they have been successful for a very long time.
They are adaptable to many environments and so they can survive in many different places.
They are also very adept breeders and breed for long periods of the year, meaning that there are often many young being born at a time and this makes their numbers remain at very high levels.
While they may need protection in the future, as of now they are hanging on very well.
So, the troupial is an important Venezuelan symbol and animal for many reasons.
They are, if nothing else, simply visually extremely striking and thus they are something very frequently marveled at both by native Venezuelans and visitors.
The birds are also extremely versatile and have managed to endure very well despite ecological disturbance in South America generally.