Bird Guide

Epaulet Oriole vs Yellow Oriole

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
Yellow Oriole (Icterus nigrogularis)

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

Recording: Hugo Oliveros-Salas · CC0
Photo: Yellow_Oriole.JPG: Stanley Tempro derivative work: Berichard (talk) · Public domain

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 Yellow Oriole.