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22

Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus) Alternate name(s): "Golden Oriole" German name(s): "Pirol", "Pfingstvogel", "Goldamsel" Size: 22-25 cm; wing span: 44-47 cm Weight: 42-100 g

Europe: Family Group 22 Family Group 22 Table Great Grey Shrike Iberian Grey Shrike Woodchat Shrike Red-backed Shrike Eurasian Golden Oriole Eurasian Magpie Iberian Magpie Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description 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.

Taxonomy, classification See Eurasian Golden 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 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.

Sightings Click here for sighting information 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. 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.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Near-lateral/ventral view of a male Eurasian Golden Oriole; note the rich yellow, the black lores and the lack of striation
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Narew, near Wizna, Podlaskie, Poland, May 2018]

Lateral view of a male Eurasian Golden Oriole looking away from the observer (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ribeira de Lucefecit, Alandroal, Portugal, July 2019]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a male(?) Eurasian Golden Oriole at take-off (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ribeira de Lucefecit, Alandroal, Portugal, July 2019]

Dorsal view of a departing male(?) Eurasian Golden Oriole (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ribeira de Lucefecit, Alandroal, Portugal, July 2019]

Dorsal view of a male Eurasian Golden Oriole in flight; wings extended (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Albufeira de Vilarelhos, Alfandega da Fe, Braganca, Portugal, July 2022]

Dorsal view of a male Eurasian Golden Oriole in flight; wings folded (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Albufeira de Vilarelhos, Alfandega da Fe, Braganca, Portugal, July 2022]

FEMALE

Near-lateral view of a Eurasian Golden Oriole - although richly coloured, this bird may be a female; note the grey (rather than black) lores and the hint of striation on the flanks (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ribeira de Lucefecit, Alandroal, Portugal, July 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a juvenile Eurasian Golden Oriole - note the dark-grey bill; this is one of four birds observed at the time
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Malkinia, Masovia, Poland, August 2019]

Lateral view of a juvenile Eurasian Golden Oriole (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ribeira de Lucefecit, Alandroal, Portugal, July 2019]

Lateral view of a juvenile Eurasian Golden Oriole in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Rio Duero, Zamora, Spain, July 2022]

Lateral view of a juvenile Eurasian Golden Oriole in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Rio Duero, Zamora, Spain, July 2022]

Lateral view of a juvenile Eurasian Golden Oriole in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Rio Duero, Zamora, Spain, July 2022]

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.

goldori_dw_20200604.m4a	(Poland)	Territorial call (male)	© DW
goldori_dw_20200604_2.m4a	(Poland)	Territorial call (male)	© DW
goldori_jp_20220722.mp3	(Portugal)	Territorial call (male)	© JP
goldori_jp_20220721.mp3	(Portugal)	Territorial calls (male)	© JP
goldori_dw_20160810_2.m4a	(Poland)	Territorial calls (male)	© DW
goldori_dw_20190804.m4a	(Poland)	Territorial calls (Q&A)	© DW
goldori_dw_20160810.m4a	(Poland)	Warning calls?	© DW
goldori_dw_20160810_1.m4a	(Poland)	Warning calls?	© DW
goldori_jp_20220723.mp3	(Portugal)	Warning calls?	© JP
goldori_dw_20190625.m4a	(Poland)	Various	© DW

More Eurasian Golden 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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Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Mon, 12 June 2023, 5:20 +00:00