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.