Icterus parisorum
1st-spring male
Scott’s Oriole is a slim-bodied songbird with a slender, pointed bill. The sexes are dissimilar. Adult males have a black back, hood, and breast, and otherwise yellow underparts. The wings are black overall but with a yellow “shoulder,” a white wingbar, and white edges to the flight feathers. From above, the tail is black with yellow sides to the basal half of the outer feathers; from below, the tail is yellow. Adult females recall an adult male but black elements of the plumage on the head and back are mottled olive-gray. On the wing, the “shoulder” patch is replaced by a second wingbar. Immatures are similar to their respective adults but duller and less strikingly marked.
Scott’s Oriole is present as a breeding species in southwestern desert habitats mainly from April to August; it favors areas where yuccas (Yucca spp.) and junipers (Juniperus spp.) flourish. It spends the rest of the year in Mexico.
male
female
FACT FILE
LENGTH 9 in (23 cm)
FOOD Invertebrates, seeds, and berries
HABITAT Open desert scrub
STATUS Locally common summer visitor
VOICE Song comprises short bursts of warbling, fluty whistles. Call is a harsh tchek
