Golden Oriole
The Golden Oriole is the only member of the oriole family breeding in Northern Hemisphere temperate regions. The male is striking with its bright yellow body and black wings but the female is a drabber green-yellow colour. In flight it looks somewhat like a thrush, strong and direct with some shallow undulating dips over longer distances.
The Golden Oriole is a secretive bird which keeps to the high tree canopy and even the male is remarkably difficult to see in the dappled yellow and green leaves of the canopy. It can be heard, most often at dawn, giving its distinctive fluting whistle, or-iii-ole, which is unmistakable once heard. It also gives a screeching call similar to the Jay.
The summer breeding range of the Golden Oriole spans from west Europe and Scandinavia east to China and it winters in central and south Africa. It can be found in a range of habitats. In west Europe it prefers open broadleaf forests and plantations, copses, riverine forest, orchards and large gardens. In east Europe it may prefer more continuous forest as well as mixed or coniferous forests. It generally avoids treeless habitats but it may forage there. In its wintering habitat it can be found in semi-arid to humid woodland, tall forests, riverine forest, woodland/savannah mosaic and savannah.
In the UK, the Golden Oriole is most often seen as a passage migrant in May and June in a suitable breeding area, particularly large poplar plantations near water. It previously bred in the poplar plantations at Lakenheath RSPB reserve in Suffolk.
The Golden Oriole may delay breeding until it is 2 or 3 years old. Males usually arrive at the breeding area several days before the females. The fidelity to a territory or even to a specific nest site suggests that the pair bond may continue from one breeding season to the next. The nest is placed high in a tree towards the edge of the crown. The deep cup-shaped nest is suspended below a horizontal fork of thin branches. It is built by the female but the male will sometimes gather some of the material. The female lays and incubates between 3 and 5 eggs but the male will also incubate for short periods to allow the female to feed. The eggs hatch after 16 to 17 days and the young are fed by both parents but are mostly brooded by the female. The young fledge after 16 to 17 days.
The Golden Oriole feeds on insects and fruit.
Date: 19th May 2018
Location: Durankulak, Dobrich Province, Bulgaria
The Golden Oriole is a secretive bird which keeps to the high tree canopy and even the male is remarkably difficult to see in the dappled yellow and green leaves of the canopy. It can be heard, most often at dawn, giving its distinctive fluting whistle, or-iii-ole, which is unmistakable once heard. It also gives a screeching call similar to the Jay.
The summer breeding range of the Golden Oriole spans from west Europe and Scandinavia east to China and it winters in central and south Africa. It can be found in a range of habitats. In west Europe it prefers open broadleaf forests and plantations, copses, riverine forest, orchards and large gardens. In east Europe it may prefer more continuous forest as well as mixed or coniferous forests. It generally avoids treeless habitats but it may forage there. In its wintering habitat it can be found in semi-arid to humid woodland, tall forests, riverine forest, woodland/savannah mosaic and savannah.
In the UK, the Golden Oriole is most often seen as a passage migrant in May and June in a suitable breeding area, particularly large poplar plantations near water. It previously bred in the poplar plantations at Lakenheath RSPB reserve in Suffolk.
The Golden Oriole may delay breeding until it is 2 or 3 years old. Males usually arrive at the breeding area several days before the females. The fidelity to a territory or even to a specific nest site suggests that the pair bond may continue from one breeding season to the next. The nest is placed high in a tree towards the edge of the crown. The deep cup-shaped nest is suspended below a horizontal fork of thin branches. It is built by the female but the male will sometimes gather some of the material. The female lays and incubates between 3 and 5 eggs but the male will also incubate for short periods to allow the female to feed. The eggs hatch after 16 to 17 days and the young are fed by both parents but are mostly brooded by the female. The young fledge after 16 to 17 days.
The Golden Oriole feeds on insects and fruit.
Date: 19th May 2018
Location: Durankulak, Dobrich Province, Bulgaria
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Also in: Bulgaria
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