African Golden Oriole
Oriolus auratus
Typical Old World oriole with mostly yellow plumage and a red bill. Note the small black mask around the eye and the black wing that is heavily edged in yellow. Male is brighter yellow than female. Found in thick woodland and some forests. Song is a series of liquid whistles. Common call is an upslurred mew. Similar to Eurasian Golden Oriole, but the wing feathers have yellow edging, and the black face mask extends well behind the eye.
Identification
The male is striking in the typical oriole black and yellow plumage, although the plumage is predominantly yellow, with solid black only in the flight feathers and tail centre. There is a great deal of gold in the wings, which is a distinction from the Eurasian golden oriole, which winters in Africa.<p>The female is a drabber green bird, distinguished from the European species by more contrasting wings and black around the eye. Orioles are shy, and even the male is remarkably difficult to see in the dappled yellow and green leaves of the canopy.<p>The flight is somewhat like a thrush, strong and direct with some shallow dips over longer distances.<p>The call is a screech like a jay, but the song is a beautiful fluting fee-ooo fee-ooo, unmistakable once heard.
Taxonomy
The name "oriole" was first recorded (in the Latin form oriolus) by Albertus Magnus in about 1250, and was stated to be onomatopoeic, from the song of the golden oriole.<p>The New World orioles are similar in appearance to the Oriolidae, but are icterids unrelated to the Old World birds.<p>Two subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Oriolus auratus
- Authority
- Vieillot, 1817
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Oriolidae
- Genus
- Oriolus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Ethiopian Black-headed Oriole
Oriolus monacha
A mostly yellow bird with a black hood and a red bill. The tail pattern varies geographically; it can be largely plain olive-and-yellow, or it can show black patches. Found in lush woodland and montane forest at middle elevations in the Abyssinian highlands. Very similar to African Black-headed Oriole, but usually separated by habitat and range. Further distinguished by the wing pattern, which is plainer, with a long gray patch, and without bold white feather edgings. Song is a series of slurred, liquid whistles, and calls include raspy notes.
Brown-flanked Tanager
Thlypopsis pectoralis
Small tanager found in dry valleys in the Andes of central Peru. It is gray with a chestnut-orange hood, a buffy tinge to sides and vent, and a whitish belly. Young birds are duller with a grayish crown. Distinguished from Rufous-chested Tanager by Brown-flanked’s lack of orange on the sides and lower underparts. Inhabits dense scrub and thickets; usually avoids tall forest. Song is a dry rattle, sometimes interspersed with harsh squeaks.
Limestone Leaf Warbler
Phylloscopus calciatilis
Small, bright yellowish leaf warbler with a black-striped head. Entirely yellow underparts and tail distinguish this species from Yellow-vented Warbler and White-tailed Leaf Warbler. Sulphur-breasted Warbler is extremely similar, but Limestone averages incrementally longer-billed and paler yellow on the underparts. Specialist of lowland and mid-altitude karst hill forest. Like other leaf warblers, forages actively in foliage, often in flocks. Song is a subtly descending series of high tinkling notes; Sulphur-breasted’s song is snappier-sounding, with a distinctly ascending quality. Call is a two-note exclamation with a quiet first half: “bi-DEW!”
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