Western oriole
The western oriole, or western black-headed oriole, is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae that is native to Africa. The adult upperparts are yellow-olive, and the underparts are yellow in colour. It is rated as a species of least concern on the IUCN [Red List of Endangered Species|International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Endangered Species].
Taxonomy and systematics
The western oriole was first described in 1837 by the English ornithologist William Swainson. Alternate names for the western oriole include the black-headed oriole and greenish-backed oriole. Two subspecies are recognized:- West African black-headed oriole – Swainson, 1837: Found from Guinea-Bissau to Togo and Benin
- Cameroon black-headed oriole – Sharpe, 1897: Found from Nigeria to western Kenya, south-central Democratic Republic of Congo and northern Angola
Description
The western oriole measures in length, and weighs. The adult upperparts are yellow-olive in colour; the head to upper breast is black, and the periphery of the wings has a small white patch. It has a brownish pink beak. The underparts are yellow. The tail feathers are black and have broad yellow tips.The juvenile has olive upperparts. The head is olive, and the throat is streaked with yellow. It has a dusky beak, and black streaked breast.
It has a variety of fluty vocalizations such as ', ', ', ', ', and ' which normally have detached notes, and are lower pitched than those of the black-winged oriole. It also emits a harsh .
Distribution and habitat
The western oriole is native to the rainforests of Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Benin, and Ghana.It is native to the African tropical rainforest. It lives either individually or in pairs in canopies of lowland primary forests, secondary forests, forest clearings with shrubs, and forest edges.