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Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus) Alternate name(s): "Green Thrush", "Oriole*", "Cedarbird" Size: 25-30 cm; wing span: 40-44 cm Body mass: 78-123 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: ca. 0.24-0.46

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Olive-backed Orioles are thrush-sized birds. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. There are also slight differences between the various races. Male Olive-backed Orioles have an olive-green head, thorat, mantle and rump. Chest and belly are whitish with heavy, dark-grey streaking. Both wings and tail have dark-grey feathers with white edge lining and white tips. Female Olive-backed Orioles have somewhat duller colours and more streaking o n throat and mantle. The eyes of both sexes have conspicuous red irises. The long, slightly down-curved bill is orange, with a small black tip. The legs and feet are dark-grey. Juveniles have cryptic plumage, with brown-olive tints on the back and pale-rufous tints on the front, with heavy dark striation on both front and back. The bill is brownish; the irises are dark-brown.

Taxonomy, classification See Olive-backed Oriole at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Olive-backed Oriole is available HERE . Olive-backed Orioles are found only in Australia and in southern New Guinea. There are three races of Olive-backed Orioles, all of which are found in south-eastern, eastern and northern Australia. Nominate race "sagittatus" breeds only in Australia. Its range extends from about Adelaide in SA, via all of VIC and eastern NSW, into eastern QLD, with the exception of Cape York peninsula, where race "grisescens" is found. In favourable conditions race "sagittatus" can extend its range farther inland, out to the longitude of Bourke, NSW, and Melbourne, VIC. From the Kimberley via the Top End of the NT and along the southern end of the Gulf of Carpentaria one finds race "affinis", which is endemic to Australia. They, too, can extend their range farther inland in favourable conditions, e.g. to Mt. Isa, QLD, and Kunnunurra, WA. Olive-backed Orioles can be found in various types of forest and open woodland. We have noticed that in inland NSW, most prominently during the breeding season, Olive-backed Orioles have a preference for staying in vegetation along creek beds, even if dry at the time. The way to find an Olive-backed Oriole is to wait for it to call. They can maintain using their babbling calls for long periods of time, possibly up to half an hour, with hardly any breaks, which makes locating them, once identified, rather straight-forward.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "sagittatus" Olive-backed Orioles, nominate race "sagittatus", can be found regularly on the western side of the Great Dividing Range in NSW, including the Narrabri area. While during the breeding season adult birds are found regularly, in wintertime usually only juveniles stay, while adults tend to disappear. C. Hayne reports that Olive-backed Orioles, race "sagittatus", are regularly observed in the area of Moree, NSW, in autumn/winter. ONLY young birds have been found so far. An adult Olive-backed Oriole, race "sagittatus", was observed by us at Yarrie Lake, 30 km West of Narrabri, NSW, in August 2012 and another in July 2015. The farthest West we have so far seen an Olive-backed Oriole, race "sagittatus", in inland NSW, was about 20 km North of Pilliga in June 2016. In December 2013, B. Hensen spotted a fledgling Olive-backed Oriole, race "sagittatus", at St. Albans, NSW. E. Scottreports finding Olive-backed Orioles, race "sagittatus", nesting at Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, in November 2017. M. Eaton reports spotting an Olive-backed Oriole, race "sagittatus", at Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, in December 2019 and again in October 2023. Race "affinis" B. Hensen reports spotting an Olive-backed Oriole, race "affinis", at Lee Point, Darwin, NT, in July 2013. H. Mouritsen reports spotting Olive-backed Orioles, race "affinis", near Darwin, NT, in October 2015. P. Brown reports finding Olive-backed Orioles, race "affinis", semi-regularly in various locations of the Top End, NT.

Photos

Race "sagittatus"

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Male Olive-backed Orioles, left, have a brighter olive-green back than females, whose colouring is duller overall.

MALE

Frontal/ventral view of an Olive-backed Oriole issuing its call; note the olive hue on throat and chin and the bright-orange bill
[Pilliga NR, NSW, December 2011]

Near-frontal view of a male Olive-backed Oriole checking out the photographer
[Eulah Creek, NSW]

Near-lateral view of a male Olive-backed Oriole looking towards the observer
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2019]

Near-lateral view of a male Olive-backed Oriole issuing its call
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2019]

Lateral view of a male Olive-backed Oriole issuing its call
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2019]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a male Olive-backed Oriole (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Near Narrabri, NSW, August 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a male Olive-backed Oriole (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, October 2023]

This dorsal view shows clearly how Olive-backed Orioles got their name; note the neat olive back and the sharp transition to dark-grey wing feathers with white edge lining, which is typical of a male
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]

FEMALE

Near-lateral view of a female Olive-backed Oriole looking at the observer; note the dark-grey streaking down the throat and the less conspicuous bill compared to a male
[Near Pilliga, NSW, June 2016]

Close-up lateral view of a (possibly still immature) female Olive-backed Oriole
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2018]

Close-up lateral view of a female Olive-backed Oriole; this photo is also used to explain the plumage of birds
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2009]

Dorsal view of a female Olive-backed Oriole looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2009]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Olive-backed Oriole siding up with a Little Friarbird, both waiting their turn for a drink of water under the tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2006]

Close-up near-lateral view of a (sub-adult?) female Olive-backed Oriole looking backwards; note the red eye, but buff edge-lining on the wing feathers
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2009]

Sex unknown

Near-frontal/ventral view of a soaking wet Olive-backed Oriole; the lack of diagnostic features makes it difficult to sex this bird - the colour of the bill makes it likely that this is a female (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, December 2019]

Hypermelanistic Olive-backed Oriole

Near-dorsal view of an Olive-backed Oriole; while the eyes are bright-orange, indicating that this is a male, and the flight feathers have the white edges typical of adults, the plumage and the bill are much too dark, suggesting excess pigmentation
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2013]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal/ventral view of an immature Olive-backed Oriole showing its typical passerine foothold
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2012]

Frontal view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Near Narrabri, NSW, October 2021]

Close-up frontal/ventral view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2025]

Close-up near-frontal/ventral view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole looking downward
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, September 2022]

Close-up near-lateral portrait of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2025]

Close-up near-lateral view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole; note the dark iris, strong supercilium, dark bill and rufous edge-lining on the wing feathers
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2011]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole looking towards the observer
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2025]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, March 2025]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole looking backwards; note the dark bill and iris, prominent supercilium and the partial rufous edge-lining on the wing feathers
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, 2006]

Direct lateral/ventral comparison between an adult Olive-backed Oriole (back) and a juvenile (front); apart from the different colour of the back, eyes and bill, note how much bulkier the adult is compared to the young bird
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2017]

Dorsal view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole looking sideways; streaked upperparts and rufous edge-lining of the wing feathers can still be seen
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2010]

Frontal view of a fledgling Olive-backed Oriole (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, December 2013]

Dorsal view of the same fledgling Olive-backed Oriole as shown above (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, December 2013]

Race "affinis"

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Male Olive-backed Orioles, left, have a brighter olive-green back than females, whose colouring is duller overall.

MALE

Lateral view of a male Olive-backed Oriole; note the bright-olive crown and upperparts and bright-red bill and iris
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2013]

FEMALE

Near-frontal view of a female Olive-backed Oriole; note the red iris, but darker bill than a male's (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Marlow's Lagoon, Palmerston, NT, May 2018]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a female Olive-backed Oriole (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Gurumbai Walking Trail, Darwin Airport, Darwin, NT, May 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a female Olive-backed Oriole (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Marlow's Lagoon, Palmerston, NT, May 2018]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole; note the dark bill and iris (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Palmerston, NT, August 2018]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Marlow's Lagoon, Palmerston, NT, May 2018]

Lateral view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Palmerston, NT, August 2018]

Dorsal view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Palmerston, NT, August 2018]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Sep - Jan

Eggs: 2 - 4

Incubation period: 18 days

Fledging age: 16 - 17 days

The breeding season of Olive-backed Orioles varies a lot, depending mostly on geographic latitude. Given the right conditions, Olive-backed Orioles can breed at any time of the year. Sep - Jan, as listed in the table above, is the core breeding season for Olive-backed Orioles in SE Australia.

Nest building: Female

Incubation: Female

Dependent care: Male & female

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Suspended basket

Material: Twigs, rootlets, bark fibre, casuarina leaves, bound with spider webs

Height above ground: 2 - 15 m

Olive-backed Oriole on its nest (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, NSW, November 2017]

Olive-backed Oriole on its nest, seen from a different angle (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, NSW, November 2017]

Olive-backed Oriole nest in a minor fork of an outer branch of a casuarina near a small inland creek
[Near Maules Creek, NSW, December 2014]

Near-dorsal view of an Olive-backed Oriole entering its nest
[Near Maules Creek, NSW, December 2014]

Olive-backed Oriole nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, November 2020]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 33 x 22 mm

Colour: Grey-brown, with mid- to dark-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Partially migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary

Part of the Olive-backed Oriole population in Australia (of race "sagittatus") migrates along the Great Dividing Range, breeding in south-eastern Australia, while others (in our experience predominantly sub-adult birds) remain over winter. Olive-backed Orioles in the tropical North are sedentary.

We have seen an adult Olive-backed Oriole chase a family of Australian King-Parrots, which is a sign of possible food competition.

Not often seen by us: Olive-backed Oriole enjoying a shower under a garden sprinkler - head and tail up...
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2013]

Olive-backed Oriole enjoying a shower under a garden sprinkler - head and tail down
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2013]

Near-dorsal view of an Olive-backed Oriole; they usually appear to be placid, but they can be fierce fighters when defending their nests; this bird was seen by us swooping on a Pied Currawong, while producing the calls recorded on 20 December 2014
[Near Maules Creek, NSW, December 2014]

Food, Diet

Adults: Insects, nectar, fruit

Dependents: Insects(?)

Water intake: Daily

Olive-backed Orioles have a varied diet, feeding on insects, nectar, native figs and other fruit (see also photos above, of adult birds feeding chicks). They are seen by us regularly hunting insects in Acacia salicinas.

Near-dorsal view of an Olive-backed Oriole taking a fruit (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Tumbling Waters, near Darwin, NT, September 2019]

Near-frontal view of an Olive-backed Oriole taking nectar from a Callistemon
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2013]

Female Olive-backed Oriole feeding on nectar (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Gurumbai Walking Trail, Darwin Airport, Darwin, NT, May 2021]

Ventral view of an juvenile Olive-backed Oriole with its catch, a bee (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Bird Billabong Road, near Arnhem Highway, NT, July 2018]

Lateral view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole taking nectar (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Palmerston, NT, August 2018]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole in a mulberry tree, helping the human owners with the harvest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2025]

Upside-down view of an Olive-backed Oriole taking seeds from an acacia
[Near Maules Creek, NSW, December 2014]

Close-up near-lateral view of a sub-adult(?) Olive-backed Oriole drinking water from an ornamental pond
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2009]

Lateral view of a juvenile Olive-backed Oriole drinking water from a bird bath
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2007]

Four of at least 15 Olive-backed Orioles staying at our place at the time, drinking from a small farm dam
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2013]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

oboriol_20191010_2.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	Contact call	© MD
oboriol_20141225.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	Contact calls (near nest)	© MD
oboriol_20151201.m4a	sagittatus (W NSW)	Contact calls (no chatter)	© MD
oboriol_20141220_2.mp3	sagittatus (NW NSW)	Alarm (Pied Currawong)	© MD
oboriol_20141220_1.mp3	sagittatus (NW NSW)	Alarm (swooping on Pied Currawong)	© MD
oboriol_20191010.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	Contact calls + babbling/mimicry	© MD
oboriol_20191007_2.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	Babbling/mimicry + contact calls	© MD
oboriol_20191007.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	Babbling/mimicry	© MD
oboriol_20250921.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	Babbling/mimicry (juvenile)	© MD
oboriol_20240907.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	2 birds competing	© MD
oboriol_20240907_2.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	2 birds competing	© MD
oboriol_20240907_3.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	2 birds competing	© MD
oboriol_20220827.mp3	sagittatus (NW NSW)	Juvenile fending off 2 Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters	© MD
oboriol_20210130.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	Begging calls? (juvenile)	© MD
oboriol_20141225_4.mp3	sagittatus (NW NSW)	? (near nest)	© MD
oboriol_20191010_3.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	?	© MD
oboriol_20200619.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	?	© MD
oboriol_20210602.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	? (juvenile)	© MD
oboriol_20210705.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	? (juvenile)	© MD
oboriol_20220829.mp3	sagittatus (NW NSW)	? (juvenile)	© MD
oboriol_20200619_2.m4a	sagittatus (NW NSW)	?	© MD

We have also been able to record wing beats of an Olive-backed Oriole.

oboriol_20220829.mp3

sagittatus (NW NSW)

Contact call + chasing away competitor

© MD

More Olive-backed Oriole sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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