Western oriole

The western oriole (Oriolus brachyrynchus), 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 International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Endangered Species.

Western oriole
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Oriolidae
Genus: Oriolus
Species:
O. brachyrynchus
Binomial name
Oriolus brachyrynchus
Swainson, 1837
Synonyms
  • Oriolus brachyrhynchus

Taxonomy and systematics

The western oriole was first described in 1837 by the English ornithologist William John Swainson.[1] Alternate names for the western oriole include the black-headed oriole (not to be confused with another species of the same name, Oriolus larvatus) and greenish-backed oriole. Two subspecies are recognized:[2]

  • West African black-headed oriole (O. b. brachyrynchus) – Swainson, 1837: Found from Guinea-Bissau to Togo and Benin
  • Cameroon black-headed oriole (O. b. laetior) – Sharpe, 1897: Found from Nigeria to western Kenya, south-central Democratic Republic of Congo and northern Angola

According to the genetic data, the western oriole and the green-headed oriole (Oriolus chlorocephalus) are sister species.[3]

Description

The western oriole measures 21 centimetres (8.3 in) in length, and weighs 42 to 57 g (1.5 to 2.0 oz).[3] 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.[4]

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.[4]

It has a variety of fluty vocalizations such as uoo-uoo, uoo-dleeo, tioolioo, whee-whooliu, whoolioo, and too-too-tuloo which normally have detached notes, and are lower pitched than those of the black-winged oriole (Oriolus nigripennis). It also emits a harsh whit-cheeew-cheeew.[4]

Distribution and habitat

The western oriole is native to the rainforests of Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Benin, and Ghana.[5]

It is found in western and central Africa. It lives either individually or in pairs in canopies of lowland primary forests, secondary forests, forest clearings with shrubs, and forest edges.[3][4]

Status and conservation

Since 1988, the western oriole has been rated as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. This is because it has a very large range and because its population is thought not to have declined by 30% over ten years or three generations. Although the population size has not been measured, it is thought to be more than the threshold required to warrant it a vulnerable rating. Habitat loss is one reason for its population decline.[1]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Oriolus brachyrynchus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22706410A94068365. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22706410A94068365.en.
  2. "IOC World Bird List 7.1". IOC World Bird List Datasets. doi:10.14344/ioc.ml.7.1.
  3. Walther, B.; Jones, P. (2017). del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi; Christie, David A; de Juana, Eduardo (eds.). "Western Black-headed Oriole (Oriolus brachyrynchus)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Archived from the original on 2017-09-15. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  4. Borrow, Nik; Demey, Ron (2013). Field Guide to the Birds of Ghana. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 280. ISBN 9781408189023.
  5. Mason, Paul; Allsop, Jake (2009). The Golden Oriole. A&C Black. p. 30. ISBN 9780713676839.
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