Maroon Oriole
Oriolus traillii
Large, pale-eyed songbird of lower and middle elevations of montane forests. Male blood red with inky black head and wings and dark bill; female similar but less richly colored. Juvenile brown above, pale with dark stippling below, paler bill, and tawny undertail coverts. Birds in Taiwan and central Vietnam are much brighter red overall. Usually seen in pairs or small flocks, sometimes with mixed-species flocks. Pairs often engage in an ethereal duet: male gives a series of melodic notes, to which the female responds with a long, airy whistle. Also gives harsh, rasping calls.
Identification
The maroon oriole has maroon and black plumage with a black head, neck and wings with a blueish beak. The females have slightly darker bodies and the juveniles have lighter bodies. The adult male is glossy crimson-maroon in color, with black head, neck and wings and a chestnut-maroon tail. The females and immature males have a greyish-white underpart with black streaks. Colouration varies somewhat across the range, with those in the Indian Subcontinent having duller colours and those in Southeast Asia having brighter colours, also tending to somewhat reddish tones.
Taxonomy
The maroon oriole was originally described in the genus Pastor. Along with the black, black-and-crimson and silver orioles, it belongs to a clade of red and black orioles.<p>Four subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Oriolus traillii
- Authority
- (Vigors, 1832)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Oriolidae
- Genus
- Oriolus
Range and habitat
The maroon oriole is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam. In India, it is found from Himachal Pradesh east to Arunachal Pradesh and the hills of Manipur.<p>Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
The maroon oriole lives alone or in pairs. The nesting season is from April to May. The nest is a deep massive cup of bast fibre that is bound with cobwebs. Both male and female birds share the parental duties.<p>The maroon oriole eats wild figs, berries, insects and nectar.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Pohnpei Fantail
Rhipidura kubaryi
Dark gray fantail with white-edged scaling on the breast. Also note white “eyebrows”, malar stripe, and trimming on the tail. No confusion species; the only fantail on Pohnpei. Inhabits brushy and wooded areas, sometimes near human habitation. Like other fantails, a very active hunter, constantly hawking and gleaning for prey. Song is a high-pitched jumble of notes given in an up-and-down series.
Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo
Hierococcyx pectoralis
A fairly large bird of lowland and montane forest. Dark gray-brown above with a rather long barred tail, a rufous chest, a gray hood, and a white throat. Juvenile has a white chest with dark flecks. Note the yellow eye-ring and base to the black bill. Omnivorous, feeding on both insects and also sometimes berries. Somewhat similar to Plaintive Cuckoo, but larger. Voice is the safest identification feature. Song is a repeated, descending series of forceful whistled notes, sometimes becoming frantic.
Sharp-billed Canastero
Asthenes pyrrholeuca
Fairly common but easily overlooked in the Andes and southern lowlands, mainly in drier habitats with low scrubby bushes. Usually rather skulking; keeps low in bushes and creeps in vegetation, but often sings from atop a bush. Plumage rather plain brownish overall, suggesting a House Wren, but note very long, loosely held tail with rusty sides. Compare with Cordilleran Canastero of more open habitats and also note distinctive voices.
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