Bird Guide

Epaulet Oriole vs Venezuelan Troupial

Epaulet Oriole (Icterus cayanensis)

Epaulet Oriole

Icterus cayanensis

Small35 gForest

The epaulet oriole is about 22 cm (8.7 in) long. Males weigh an average of about 45 g (1.6 oz) and females an average of about 42 g (1.5 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies are almost entirely black. They have yellow lesser and median wing coverts that show as the eponymous epaulet on the closed wing. Subspecies I. c. chrysocephalus is also mostly black but has a golden-yellow crown, nape, rump, epaulets, and thighs. Juveniles of both subspecies are blackish brown rather than pure black and their yellow parts are duller than adults'. Voice: The two subspecies of the epaulet oriole have different but similar songs. That of the nominate is "not very musical and has been described as a varied series of ascending and descending notes, also mixing clicks and buzzes". That of I. c. chrysocephalus is "a slow series of ascending and descending notes, usually grouped in phrases of two to three notes".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
Venezuelan Troupial (Icterus icterus)

Venezuelan Troupial

Icterus icterus

Medium61 gForest

Venezuelan troupials are fairly large in size, with a long tail and a bulky bill. It has a black head and upper breast. The feathers on the front of the neck and upper breast stick outward, making an uneven boundary between the black and the orange of the bird's lower breast and underside. The rest of the orange color is found on the upper and lower back, separated by the black shoulders. The wings are mostly black except for a white streak that runs the length of the wing when in a closed position. The eyes are yellow, and surrounding each one, there is a patch of bright, blue, naked skin.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Jess Mullins · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Epaulet Oriole and Venezuelan Troupial.