Olive-backed Oriole
Oriolus sagittatus
Medium-sized songbird with long pinkish bill and red eye. Olive-green above, pale below, with dark streaks on chest and belly. Juvenile and immature browner, with grayish bills. Green Oriole is green and yellow below. Female Australasian Figbird is browner, with shorter bill and bare skin around eyes. Resident in northern Australia and New Guinea, summer migrant to southeastern Australia. Inhabits many sorts of woodlands, foraging singly or in pairs, singing frequently, a clear, tuneful “orri-orri-orriole.”
Identification
Not bright in colour, it is olive-backed with small dark streaks, with a light chest having black streaks. Females have cinnamon-edged wings and both sexes have reddish bills and eyes.
Taxonomy
The olive-backed oriole was originally described in the genus Coracias by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801.<p>Four subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Oriolus sagittatus
- Authority
- (Latham, 1801)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Oriolidae
- Genus
- Oriolus
Range and habitat
Where the green oriole specialises in damp, thickly vegetated habitats in the tropical far north, the olive-backed oriole is more versatile, preferring more open woodland environments, and tolerating drier climates (but not desert). While common to very common in the north, olive-backed orioles are less frequently seen in the south, but nevertheless reach as far as south-eastern South Australia. Their range is from the very north of Western Australia across the east and south coasts to Victoria and the corner of South Australia. Most birds breed during the tropical wet season, but some migrate south to breed in the southern summer.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Hispaniolan Parakeet
Psittacara chloropterus
A sleek, medium-large, gregarious species of woodlands that sometimes ventures into agricultural and urban areas. Its overall green plumage, long, pointed tail, and stout bill eliminate all other species in range. In overflight, it often appears green with a red slash on each forewing. Most common call is a series of squeaks that takes on a twittering quality when given by an excited flock.
Croaking Cisticola
Cisticola natalensis
Chunky, large-billed, streak-backed cisticola. Brown overall, without bright rufous in the plumage. Males are much larger than females. Found in grassland and savanna with scattered bushes. Song varies geographically but always consists of a rising note with a croaking quality. Larger than Stout Cisticola and lacks a bright rufous crown. Distinguished from most other cisticolas by large size and heavy bill. As with all cisticolas, habitat and voice are important cues in identification.
Masked Duck
Nomonyx dominicus
Reclusive, rarely seen diving duck of tropical lowlands. Feeds mainly at night and spends much of the day sleeping quietly in marshy vegetation, often in small ponds and even in roadside ditches. Rarely seen in flight, but can spring into the air rather than run along the water. Male in breeding plumage has black face mask, bright blue bill, and dark rusty body. Female-plumaged birds are seen much more often: note buffy face with double dark face stripes.
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