Icterus cucullatus
1st-spring male
The Hooded Oriole is a long-tailed, slim-bodied songbird with a slender downcurved bill. The sexes are dissimilar. Adult males have orange body plumage with a black face, throat, back, and tail. The black wings have two white wingbars and white edges to the flight feathers. All females have an olive-yellow tail and upperparts, and a dull yellow face and underparts, palest on the flanks. The dark wings have two white wingbars and white edges to the flight feathers. Immature males in fall are similar to an adult female but by their first spring they have acquired an adult male’s black face and throat.
The Hooded Oriole is present as a breeding species in its southwestern range mainly from April to August. It spends the rest of the year in Mexico. Partly because it favors open habitats, it is usually easy to observe.
female
male
FACT FILE
LENGTH 8 in (20 cm)
FOOD Invertebrates, seeds, and berries
HABITAT Open woodland, often near water
STATUS Locally common summer visitor
VOICE Song is a short series of harsh, warbling phrases. Call is a harsh tchuut
