The Black-naped Oriole is a bright golden-yellow songbird with a broad black band through the eye that wraps around the back of its head. It breeds in East Asia, including Korea, and winters in South and Southeast Asia; some populations in the Philippines and Indonesia stay year-round. It doesn't live in the wild in the US.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A medium-sized songbird, about 9.5–11 in (24–28 cm) long. Males are bright golden with a pinkish bill, black wing tips, and a black band through the eye that joins at the nape. Females are greener on the back, and young birds have streaked underparts.
- Voice
- A fluting song plus a nasal, cat-like "myaa" call.
Look-alikes
Indian Golden OrioleOriolus kundoo
The Indian Golden Oriole has a short, thin black eye-stripe that stops behind the eye. On the Black-naped Oriole, the black band is broad and meets across the back of the head.
Why they get mixed upBoth are golden-yellow orioles that can be found together in India in winter.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Forests
- Gardens
- Plantations
- City parks
- Range
- The northern breeds in eastern Siberia, northeastern China, Korea, and northern Vietnam, and winters across India, Bangladesh, and Indochina. Other subspecies live year-round on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Malay Peninsula, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
- Seasonal presence
- Northern birds are migratory; tropical island populations stay year-round.
Behavior
- Diet
- Insects and fruit, especially figs and other berries, usually taken high in the treetops.
- Activity
- Spends most of its time in the canopy and flies with a dipping, bounding motion.
Life cycle
- Breeding season
- April to June over most of the range
- Nest
- A deep cup slung in a fork of a tree branch.
- Clutch size
- Usually 2–3 salmon-pink eggs with reddish spots; birds in Korea are reported to lay 3–4
- Incubation
- The female incubates alone for 14–16 days.
- Fledging
- About 2 weeks after hatching.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
- Status
- In parts of Southeast Asia it is trapped and sold as a cage bird.
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