Bullock's Oriole

The Bullock's Oriole is the western counterpart to the more familiar Baltimore Oriole, sharing the family's vivid orange-and-black coloring but differing in the details of its facial pattern. It breeds in open woodland and riparian corridors across the western United States.

Unlike the Baltimore Oriole's solid black hood, adult male Bullock's Orioles show orange cheeks set off by a black crown, eyeline, and throat stripe, giving the face a very different pattern despite the similar overall orange-and-black color scheme.

Its feathers are also notable for an unusually large white wing patch, considerably bigger than the single wingbar seen in the Baltimore Oriole, making the two species distinguishable by feather pattern alone.

Size and Shape

Medium-length, sturdy contour and flight feathers similar in size to the Baltimore Oriole.

Color and Pattern

• Adult male facial feathers show orange cheeks bordered by a black crown, eyeline, and throat stripe, rather than a solid black hood.
• Underside feathers are bright orange; back feathers are black.
• Wing feathers show a notably large white patch, bigger than the single wingbar of the Baltimore Oriole.
• Tail feathers are black with orange along the sides.
• Females and immatures are grayish-yellow with an olive back, duller than adult males.

Comparisons

The orange cheeks and larger white wing patch separate this species' feathers from the Baltimore Oriole, whose males show a solid black hood and a single, narrower wingbar. The two species' ranges overlap narrowly in the Great Plains, where hybrid individuals can show intermediate features.

Sexual dimorphism similar to the Baltimore Oriole: adult males show orange cheeks with black crown, eyeline, and throat stripe, while females and immatures are duller grayish-yellow with an olive back. Males take time to reach full adult plumage. One complete molt occurs annually after breeding.

Bullock's Orioles breed across the western United States in open woodland, riparian corridors, and shade trees, wintering in Mexico and Central America as long-distance migrants. A narrow hybrid zone with the Baltimore Oriole occurs on the Great Plains where the two species' ranges meet.

This species weaves a hanging pouch nest similar to the Baltimore Oriole's, though its song tends to be harsher and more chattering. It feeds on insects, nectar, and fruit, foraging actively in the tree canopy. A vivid orange feather with a large white wing patch, or a black feather with an orange side patch, is a good match for this western species.