22

Golden Orioles are roughly thrush-sized birds. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Eurasian Golden Orioles are basically all golden-yellow, except the lores, flight feathers and uppertail, which are black. Female Eurasian Golden Orioles are much more inconspicuous. They have a light-grey front, from chin to undertail coverts, with faint grey streaking and yellow flanks. The lores are grey, the crown and nape of the neck are yellow. The mantle and wing coverts are olive-yellow. The flight feathers are black, with thin grey edge lining. The uppertail is olive-grey. The irises of both sexes are orange-brown. The strong, slightly downcurved bill is bright-orange. The legs and feet are grey. Juvenile and immature Eurasian Golden Orioles roughly resemble females, but with duller colours (olive instead of yellow; grey instead of black), more streaking down the front and much wider edge lining on the flight feathers. Juveniles have a dark-grey bill; second-year immature sub-adults already have an orange bill.

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 Eurasian Golden Oriole is available HERE .

Eurasian Golden Orioles are a strongly migratory species. Their breeding grounds are anywhere from the north-western African coastal fringe, via the northern Mediterranean, all of western Europe, but not the British Isles, central and eastern Europe (not Scandinavia and the highest mountain ranges) and eastward into mid-latitude western and central Asia, as far as the border area of southern Russia with Kazakhstan and Mongolia. In the South-east their range extends around the Black Sea into Asia Minor, towards the western coastline of the Caspian Sea and into the western half of Iran. During their migration they can be found in Arabia and in the northern half of Africa. They spend the northern winters mostly in Africa South of the equator, except the eastern highlands and the western coastal strip. Some may also stay half-way in areas that are usually only visited in passage (such as e.g. the northern African coastal fringe or coastal areas in Arabia).

In Europe Eurasian Golden Orioles are found as breeding migrants anywhere to the South of the Baltic Sea, except southern Greece and the highest regions of the Alps and Pyrenees. Except for one location in East Anglia and a few on the southern Swedish coastline, they are not found on the British Isles or Scandinavia. Except for eastern Sicily and Cyprus, where they breed, they are found on the Mediterranean islands only during migration.

Eurasian Golden Orioles are shy and will usually stay up in the canopy of trees when not on the ground to take water.

D. Wilczynska reports spotting Eurasian Golden Orioles near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, in August 2016, when their calls were recorded.

Next, D. Wilczynska found Eurasian Golden Orioles along the river Narew, near Wizna, Podlaskie, Poland, in May 2018.

D. Wilczynska also observed a family of Eurasian Golden Orioles near the river Bug, near Malkinia, Masovia, Poland, in August 2019.

J. Pires reports finding a family of Eurasian Golden Orioles at Ribeira de Lucefecit, Alandroal, Portugal, in July 2019. Another was found along the Cavado River, Esposende, Braga, Portugal, in July 2020. The species was also found in Mora, Evora, Portugal, in August 2025.

H. Dahlem-Senger reports spotting a Eurasian Golden Oriole near Eltville, Hessen, Germany, in June 2023.

Eurasian Golden Orioles were previously spotted by us in Oman.