Streak-backed Oriole
Icterus pustulatus
Usually the commonest orange-and-black oriole of tropical lowlands and foothills along the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America; also occurs in dry interior valleys. Very rare in the southwestern U.S. Found in tropical woodland and edges, plantations, towns, gardens, and semiopen areas with hedges and scattered trees. Slightly larger and bulkier than slenderer and longer-tailed Hooded Oriole, with straighter bill, more extensive white edgings to the wing feathers, and variable dark streaking on the back (faint in northern birds, heavy in southern birds, and sometimes almost solidly black). Both sexes have black throat patch, lacking on female Hooded. Some immature Streak-backed can be quite dull yellowish but usually still show faint streaks on the back; compare with Bullock's Oriole.
Identification
The streak-backed oriole (Icterus pustulatus) is a medium-sized species of passerine bird in the family Icteridae, the oropendolas, New World orioles, and New World blackbirds. It is found in Mexico, in Central America from Guatemala to Costa Rica, and occasionally in the United States.
Taxonomy
Genus: Icterus; Family: Icteridae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Icterus pustulatus
- Authority
- (Wagler, 1829)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Icteridae
- Genus
- Icterus
Range and habitat
It is native to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and an occasional visitor to the Southwestern United States.<p>Its natural habitat consists of woodland, savanna, grassland and shrubland. It prefers open arid woodland, typically with a strong presence of mimosa.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sula Golden-Bulbul
Hypsipetes longirostris
A noticeably long-billed thrush-sized bird with an olive head and upperside and uniform yellow underparts. Pairs or small groups inhabit forests, edges, and plantations in the lowlands and foothills. Endemic to the Sula Islands, where it is the only bulbul present. Vocalizations include a series of churring warbles, as well as harsh rasping notes and soft “whip” and bubbling calls.
Banded Lapwing
Vanellus tricolor
Elegant lapwing with a white stripe through eye (like a sunglass strap), a red wattle in front of the eye, and a thick and complete black breast-band. Smaller and shorter-legged than Masked Lapwing. Not generally an urban bird, it is more common inland. In more coastal areas it tends to be limited to areas with very short grass (e.g., airports, turf farms).
Atlas Wheatear
Oenanthe seebohmi
Small thrush-like bird with distinctive black-and-white tail pattern that is striking in flight. Breeding male has a black face, throat and wing, gray back and crown, and white underparts. Breeding female is duller, with a brownish crown and back, and usually a speckled blackish face and throat. Nonbreeding and immature birds are duller overall, though males retain their distinctive black throat. Breeds in the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa, in areas of bare rock and short grass. Migrates south into the Sahel, where it spends the non-breeding season in a variety of open habitats such as grasslands and barren rocky plains. Tends to stay on the ground or on low perches. Jumbled-sounding song is quite variable, often including whistles, trills, and mimicry. Similar in appearance to Northern Wheatear, though male Atlas Wheatear is usually separated by its black throat. Separating females during migration and on the wintering grounds is usually difficult. Female Atlas Wheatear has a black “wingpit” and front part of the underwing, but this is hard to see in the field.
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