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22

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

Oman: Family Group 22 Family Group 22 Table Golden Oriole Isabelline Shrike Great Grey Shrike Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names Birds of Oman 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 slightly 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. Immature and juvenile 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; immature sub-adults already have an orange bill.

Taxonomy, classification See Eurasian Golden Oriole at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat 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 Arabia Eurasian Golden Orioles are usually observed during their migration between Africa and Asia, but occasionally birds have stayed both in summer (reports from western Saudi Arabia) and in winter (Oman). 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 A small number of Eurasian Golden Orioles was spotted by us on the Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, in August-September 2009. Both adult and immature birds were spotted, but photos obtained only of immature birds. Eurasian Golden Orioles were also found in Europe.

Photos

ADULT

Photos of adult Eurasian Golden Orioles are available from Europe.

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of an immature Eurasian Golden Oriole
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Near-lateral view of an immature Eurasian Golden Oriole
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Near-lateral view of an immature Eurasian Golden Oriole approaching water
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Lateral view of an immature Eurasian Golden Oriole; upright stance
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Near-dorsal view of an immature Eurasian Golden Oriole checking whether it is safe to go for a drink
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Dorsal view of an immature Eurasian Golden Oriole
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Food, Diet

Frontal view of an immature Eurasian Golden Oriole having a drink of water
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

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.

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

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: Fri, 2 June 2023, 11:11 +00:00