Black-headed oriole
| Black-headed oriole | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Song recorded in the Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Oriolidae |
| Genus: | Oriolus |
| Species: | O. larvatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Oriolus larvatus (Lichtenstein, 1823) | |
The black-headed oriole (Oriolus larvatus) is an African passerine. It has a very striking appearance with a bright yellow body, contrasting black head and flesh-coloured beak.
It breeds in much of sub-Saharan Africa from South Sudan and Ethiopia in the north to South Africa in the south.
It inhabits dry tropical forests, especially acacia and broad-leaved woodlands, and dense shrubland areas, where it is more often heard than seen despite the brightness of its plumage.
The voice is a liquid-sounding warble, accompanied by imitations and whistles.
It forages in the canopy, feeding on small fruit as well as large insects. The young are fed mostly with caterpillars.
Gallery
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A pair in courtship ritual, riparian zone of central Waterberg, South Africa
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Tail-fanning is one element of oriole courtship[1]
- ^ "HBW 13 - Family text: Oriolidae (Orioles and Figbirds)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Oriolus larvatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
External links
- Black-headed oriole videos, photos and sounds - Internet Bird Collection
- Black-headed oriole - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.