Black-cowled Oriole vs Yellow Oriole

Black-cowled Oriole

Icterus prosthemelas

Small28 gForest

The black-cowled oriole is a medium-sized passerine, ranging in length from 18.5 to 21 cm (7.3 to 8.3 in). Males are larger and heavier than females, averaging 32.5 g (1.15 oz) while females average only 27.5 g (0.97 oz). In the north of the range, males and females are sexually dimorphic, while in the south, their plumages are similar. In both sexes, the bill is slender, slightly decurved, and black, with a silvery base to the lower mandible. The adult male's plumage is mostly black, with bright yellow patches on the shoulder, rump, and uppertail coverts. Voice: The bird's song is a fairly quiet, complicated series of soft, whistled notes and harsher chattering. These are described as being variously clear, metallic, slurred and mellow, and are delivered in an apparently random order. Its calls include a scratchy, rising weet, a nasal deep, a nasal eeaahnk, a quiet tee-u, and a sharper beehk or bihk.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Stephen Lewis · CC0

Yellow Oriole

Icterus nigrogularis

Small40 gWoodland

The yellow oriole is 20 to 21 cm (7.9 to 8.3 in) long and weighs about 38 g (1.3 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies I. n. nigrogularis are mostly bright yellow though somewhat paler on the belly. They have black lores, a black "mask", and a black "bib" from the chin to the upper breast. Their wings are mostly black with white edges on the flight feathers, yellow lesser and median coverts, and white tips on the greater coverts, tertials, and primaries. The last show as a white patch on the folded wing. Their tail is black with small white tips on the outer two pairs of feathers. Voice: The yellow oriole's song is "a detached of short musical phrases, tur-a-leet, tur-sweet, tuur...tweet, tweet and so on". It's dawn song adds "harsh and high-pitched notes". One call is "a rather sharp ka-chek over and over".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recorded by Hugo Oliveros-Salas · Call · Usiacurí, Usiacurí, Atlántico, Colombia · CC0

Photo: Andrew J. Crawford · CC0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-cowled Oriole and Yellow Oriole.