Streak-backed Oriole

Icterus pustulatusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Blackbirds and Orioles (Icteridae)

General

Streak-backed Oriole: Large oriole with mostly bright orange body except for black streaks on back. Deep orange-red head and breast contrast with black face and chin. Wings are black with two bold white bars. Tail is black with white corners. Female is duller.

Range and Habitat

Streak-backed Oriole: Casual in southern California and southern Arizona. Prefers arid and semi-arid scrub and brushy woodlands; also inhabits plantations.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"roochee-roo-roo-chee-roo", "weet,weet,weet,weet,weet"

Interesting Facts

Of the neotropical orioles that may be seen in the southern U.S., the Streak-backed Oriole is one of the scarcest.

It has not established a permanent foothold as have the Hooded, Altamira, Scott's and Audubon's Orioles.

A group of orioles are collectively known as a "pitch" and a "split" of orioles.

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Streak-backed Oriole

Streak-backed Oriole: Large oriole with mostly bright orange body except for black streaks on back. Deep orange-red head and breast contrast with black face, chin. Black wings with two bold white bars. Black tail with white corners. Eats mostly insects. Strong direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Song: "roochee-roo-roo-chee-roo", "weet,weet,weet,weet,weet"

● Foraging & Feeding: Streak-backed Oriole: Eats large insects, grubs, seeds, flowers, and nectar; forages in high to middle levels in deciduous trees.

● Breeding & nesting: Streak-backed Oriole: Two to six white to pale blue eggs heavily marked with black and brown are laid in a basket nest made of plant fibers, grass, and vines, lined with finer materials, and hung 10 to 50 feet above the ground. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Streak-backed Oriole: Female and juvenile male Bullock's Orioles have faintly streaked gray-brown backs, entirely blue-gray lower mandibles, pale gray bellies, sides, and flanks, and thinner white edges on flight feathers and wing coverts.

Flight Pattern

Swift strong direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Streak-backed Oriole: Casual in southern California and southern Arizona. Prefers arid and semi-arid scrub and brushy woodlands; also inhabits plantations.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationYes but uncommon

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight1.3 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America