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Yellow-backed Oriole

Icterus chrysater

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesWoodlandCup nestSmall · 53 g
Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater), photo 1
Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0
Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater), photo 2
Photo: datadan · CC BY 4.0
Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater), photo 3
Photo: Guy Babineau · CC BY 4.0
Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater), photo 4
Photo: russnamitz · CC0
Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater), photo 5
Photo: russnamitz · CC0
Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater), photo 6
Photo: Darly Suaterna · CC0
Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater), photo 7
Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0
Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater), photo 8
Photo: Dilan Rodríguez Marin · CC BY 4.0
Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater), photo 9
Photo: Dilan Rodríguez Marin · CC BY 4.0
Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater), photo 10
Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K · CC BY 2.0

What the Yellow-backed Oriole sounds like

Sonogram of the Yellow-backed Oriole: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by JUAN ANTONIO ALONSO DE JUAN · Song · Bogotá, Bogotá, Colombia · CC BY 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Yellow-backed Oriole: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Hugo Oliveros-Salas · Dawn song · Santa Marta, Magdalena, Vereda Bellavista, Casa Café Hospedaje, Colombia · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Yellow-backed Oriole: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by radrat · Song · Pipeline Road, Colón, Colón Province, Panama · CC0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

Yellow-backed orioles are a yellow-bodied, sexually monomorphic species. They average 21.5 cm (8.5 in) in length from beak to tail; making it a relatively medium-sized oriole species. Exposed skin and claws are bluish-black; in adults, the bill is black, with the base of the mandible becoming bluish-grey. Adult males display strongly contrasting yellow and black plumage. The wings, tail, shoulders, throat, and face are all black; by contrast, the back and underparts are an extremely bright yellow. Adult females closely resemble males, but yellow parts appear slightly greenish.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Yellow-backed Oriole

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Yellow-backed Oriole

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 10 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Colombia Panama Mexico Guatemala Honduras Belize Venezuela Nicaragua El Salvador Ecuador

Recorded as a rare visitor in Costa Rica.

About the Yellow-backed Oriole

The yellow-backed oriole is a species of bird in the family Icteridae.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Scott's Oriole (Icterus parisorum) Scott's OrioleIcterus parisorumScott's oriole is about 23 cm (9.1 in) long with a wingspan of 32 cm (13 in); it weighs 32 to 41 g (1.1 to 1.4 oz). Streak-backed Oriole (Icterus pustulatus) Streak-backed OrioleIcterus pustulatusThe streak-backed oriole is 19 to 21 cm (7.5 to 8.3 in) long. Epaulet Oriole (Icterus cayanensis) Epaulet OrioleIcterus cayanensisThe epaulet oriole is about 22 cm (8.7 in) long.

Side by side: Altamira Oriole vs Yellow-backed Oriole · Streak-backed Oriole vs Yellow-backed Oriole · Scott's Oriole vs Yellow-backed Oriole · Epaulet Oriole vs Yellow-backed Oriole

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