22

Yellow Oriole (Oriolus flavocinctus) Alternate name(s): "Australasian Yellow Oriole", "Yellow-bellied Oriole", "Green Oriole", "Green Mulberry" Aboriginal name(s): Race "kingi": "dulgujulu" [ngadjon] Size: 26-28 cm Body mass: 75-100 g

Australia: Family Group 22 Family Group 22 Table White-winged Triller Varied Triller Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Barred Cuckoo-shrike Ground Cuckoo-shrike Sahul Cicadabird (Australasian) Yellow Oriole Olive-backed Oriole Australasian Figbird White-breasted Woodswallow Masked Woodswallow White-browed Woodswallow Black-faced Woodswallow Dusky Woodswallow Little Woodswallow Black Butcherbird Grey Butcherbird Silver-backed Butcherbird Black-backed Butcherbird Pied Butcherbird Australian Magpie Black Currawong Grey Currawong Pied Currawong Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Yellow Orioles are thrush-sized birds. Their front, from the chin to the chest, is olive-green. Farther down, the belly, vent and undertail coverts are olive-yellow. The crown and nape of the neck are brownish-olive, while the mantle, back and rump are more brownish, with dark streaking. The wing feathers are dark-grey, with wide, creamy edge lining and tips. The uppertail is brownish-olive at the base, greyish farther down and the tail feathers have creamy tips. The eyes have conspicuous red irises. The long, slightly down-curved bill is orange. The legs and feet are dark-grey. Juvenile and immature Yellow Orioles have cryptic brown-olive plumage, with heavy dark striation on both front and back. The bill is brownish; the irises are dark-brown. Both bill and irises start turning reddish in the immature phase.

Taxonomy, classification See (Australasian) Yellow 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 Yellow Oriole is available HERE . Yellow Orioles are found only in Australia and on the southern tip of New Guinea. In Australia 4 races of Yellow Orioles are found. Nominate race "flavocinctus" populates the northern, (near-)coastal fringe of the Kimberley in WA and the Top End of the NT, down to the latitude of about Katherine, NT. The range of race "tiwi" is restricted to the Tiwi Islands, North of Darwin, NT. Race "flavotinctus" populates Cape York peninsula, from the Norman River to about Cedar Bay NP, QLD. Farther South along the QLD East coast race "kingi" is found, down to just South of Cairns, QLD. Yellow Orioles prefer tropical forest and mangrove, but also visit gardens.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "flavocinctus" B. Hensen reports spotting a Yellow Oriole, race "flavocinctus", at Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, in July 2013. We first spotted Yellow Orioles, race "flavocinctus", in and around Darwin, NT, in August 2014. J. Greaves reports spotting Yellow Orioles, race "flavocinctus", at Yellow Water, Kakadu NP, NT, in November 2014, and in the Botanical Gardens, Darwin, NT, in September 2016. H. Mouritsen reports spotting Yellow Orioles, race "flavocinctus", in various locations around Darwin and the surrounding Top End of the NT in October 2015. K. Ohlsen reports spotting Yellow Orioles, race "flavocinctus", in Acacia Hills, NT, in January 2017, where they were found to be nesting at the time. A pair was found nesting at the same location in October 2020. P. Brown reports finding Yellow Orioles, race "flavocinctus", regularly in and around Darwin, NT, and in other locations of the Top End of the NT, e.g. Pine Creek. Race "tiwi" J. Greaves reports spotting Yellow Orioles, race "tiwi", at Maxwell Creek, Melville Island, off Darwin, NT, in December 2016. Race "kingi" M. Eaton reports spotting Yellow Orioles, race "kingi", on the Daintree River, QLD, in December 2018. A. Ross-Taylor found a Yellow Oriole, race "kingi", in Daintree NP, QLD, in May 2022. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours spotted a Yellow Oriole, race "kingi", on Redden Island, Machans Beach, Cairns, in May 2020. Others were found along the Daintree River, QLD, in February and November 2023, respectively. Race "flavotinctus" M. Eaton reports spotting a Yellow Oriole, race "flavotinctus", at the Musgrave Roadhouse, Cape York peninsula, QLD, in August 2019. Others were found at Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, in June 2024.

Photos

Race "flavocinctus"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an adult Yellow Oriole (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2013]

Frontal view of a Yellow Oriole looking sideways while issuing its call (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, July 2018]

Near-frontal view of a Yellow Oriole (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Sanctuary Lakes Park, Palmerston, NT, March 2018]

Near-frontal view of a Yellow Oriole looking sideways (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, May 2018]

Near-lateral view of a Yellow Oriole (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, May 2018]

Close-up lateral portrait of a Yellow Oriole (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Botanical Gardens, Darwin, NT, September 2016]

Lateral view of a particularly dark-green Yellow Oriole (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, October 2018]

Lateral/ventral view of a Yellow Oriole (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, May 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a Yellow Oriole looking backwards (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Dorsal view of a Yellow Oriole looking sideways (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Sanctuary Lakes Park, Palmerston, NT, March 2018]

Dorsal view of a Yellow Oriole looking sideways
[Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Dorsal/ventral view of a Yellow Oriole looking sideways (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2013]

Ventral view of a Yellow Oriole stretching a wing (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, March 2018]

Two distant lateral views of a Yellow Oriole in flight
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, August 2014]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of an immature Yellow Oriole looking sideways (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, May 2018]

Near-lateral view of an immature Yellow Oriole looking sideways (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, May 2018]

Near-dorsal view of an immature Yellow Oriole (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, May 2018]

Dorsal view of an immature Yellow Oriole looking sideways (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, May 2018]

Lateral view of a juvenile Yellow Oriole - note the dark bill and heavily streaked front (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Pine Creek, NT, November 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Yellow Oriole (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, May 2018]

Race "tiwi"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of an adult Yellow Oriole looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Maxwell Creek, Melville Island, off Darwin, NT, December 2016]

Lateral view of a preening Yellow Oriole (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Maxwell Creek, Melville Island, off Darwin, NT, December 2016]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a fledgling Yellow Oriole (photo courtesy of K. Ohlsen)
[Acacia Hills, NT, January 2017]

Race "kingi"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal/ventral view of an adult Yellow Oriole looking sideways (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Daintree NP, QLD, May 2022]

Near-lateral view of a Yellow Oriole issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Daintree River, QLD, December 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a Yellow Oriole (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Daintree River, QLD, December 2018]

Close-up dorsal view of a Yellow Oriole looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Redden Island, Machans Beach, Cairns, QLD, May 2020]

Lateral view of a Yellow Oriole in flight, wings flat (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, February 2023]

Lateral view of a Yellow Oriole in flight, wings down (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, February 2023]

Race "flavotinctus"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a Yellow Oriole looking at the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Musgrave Roadhouse, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Lateral view of a Yellow Oriole issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Musgrave Roadhouse, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Jan

Eggs: 2 - 3

Incubation period: 18(?) days

Fledging age: 16 - 17(?) days

The breeding season can be extended somewhat both ways, depending on the onset/end of the tropical wet season.

Nest

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

Type: Suspended basket

Material: (Paper) bark fibre, vine tendrils, with softer lining

Height above ground: 2 - 15 m

Lateral view of a Yellow Oriole in its nest (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree River, QLD, November 2023]

Yellow Oriole nest about 2 m off the ground (photo courtesy of K. Ohlsen)
[Acacia Hills, NT, January 2017]

View from above into a Yellow Oriole nest with 2 chicks inside (photo courtesy of K. Ohlsen)
[Acacia Hills, NT, January 2017]

View from above into a Yellow Oriole nest with 2 chicks inside (photo courtesy of K. Ohlsen)
[Acacia Hills, NT, January 2017]

Yellow Oriole nest in the foreground (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Daintree River, QLD, December 2018]

Eggs

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

Size: 33 x 23 mm

Colour: Off-white, with mid- to dark-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Solitary

Yellow Oriole surveying the surroundings from a high perch (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, June 2018]

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.

yloriol_20140818.m4a	flavocinctus (Top End, NT)	Contact call	© MD
yloriol_20140820.m4a	flavocinctus (Top End, NT)	Contact call	© MD
yloriol_20140817.m4a	flavocinctus (Top End, NT)	Contact call	© MD
yloriol_pb_20221122.mp3	flavocinctus (Darwin, NT)	Contact call	© PB
yloriol_20140819_3.m4a	flavocinctus (Darwin, NT)	(Modified) contact call?	© MD
yloriol_pb_20180606_3.m4a	flavocinctus (Darwin, NT)	(Modified) contact call?	© PB
yloriol_pb_20180606.m4a	flavocinctus (Darwin, NT)	(Modified) contact calls?, Q&A	© PB
yloriol_pb_20200415.m4a	flavocinctus (Darwin, NT)	Going to roost	© PB
figbird_20140817_3.m4a	flavocinctus (Darwin, NT)	Q&A? (with Australasian Figbird)	© MD
yloriol_pb_20180606_4.m4a	flavocinctus (Darwin, NT)	Various	© PB
yloriol_20140819.m4a	flavocinctus (Darwin, NT)	?	© MD
yloriol_me_20240613.m4a	flavotinctus (Far-N QLD)	Contact call	© ME
yloriol_me_20240614.m4a	flavotinctus (Far-N QLD)	"Babbling" + contact call	© ME

More Yellow 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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.