Bird name:

Scott's Oriole

Icterus parisorum

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Blackbirds and Orioles (Icteridae)

Code 4

SCOR

Code 6

ICTPAR

ITIS

179082

Breeding Location:

Desert, Grasslands, Canyons

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Fairly common

Egg Color:

Light blue with gray, black and red brown spots

Number of Eggs:

2 - 4

Incubation Days:

12 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lined with plant material., Grasses

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Scott's Oriole: Medium-sized oriole with black hood extending onto breast and back. Belly and rump are bright yellow. Wings are black with yellow shoulder patches and two white bars. Tail is yellow with thick black tip and central line. Female is duller with gray hood, black breast patch, and mottled black back. Juvenile resembles female but is grayer, lacks breast patch, and has streaked back.

Range and Habitat

Scott's Oriole: Breeds in southern California, southern Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas. Spends winters mainly south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Found in desert grassland prairies and mountain canyons, particularly if yucca or palms are present; nests in pinyon-juniper woodlands, sycamores, and cottonwoods.

Breeding and Nesting

Scott's Oriole: Two to four pale blue eggs marked with gray, black, and brown are laid in a pendant-shaped nest woven through overhanging leaves or suspended from twigs. Nest is built from yucca and palm fibers, and lined with fine grass, cotton waste, and hair. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Scott's Oriole: Feeds mainly on insects, such as grasshoppers, small beetles, caterpillars, and butterflies; also eats berries, cactus fruit, and flower nectar. Sometimes forages by climbing on drooping branches and twigs, especially when probing flowers.

Readily Eats

Suet, Jelly, Orange Halves, Raisins

Vocalization

Scott's Oriole: Song is a low, clear whistle with slightly gurgling quality. Call is a harsh, relatively low-pitched "cherk", "jug", or "shack." In flight, gives a husky, low "zhet."

Similar Species

Scott's Oriole: Audubon's Oriole lacks black back. Other female orioles lack dark streaks on back and have orange in plumages.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

Shoulder

The short feathers overlying the median secondary coverts on the top of the wing. They are located near the back and can be seen as the “first row” of feathers on the birds wing. They are also called marginal coverts and lesser secondary coverts.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America