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Hooded Oriole

Icterus cucullatus ORDER: PASSERIFORMES FAMILY: ICTERIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Hooded Oriole Photo

© B. B. Hall/CLO

Named for the orange hood on the male, this slender oriole is at home in suburban areas of the southwestern United States. It originally nested in the trees of desert oases, but finds ornamental trees suitable.

Inside Birding
For complete information on this species, visit The Birds of North America Online.

Appearance

Blackbirdlike
Blackbirdlike
Typical Voice

Adult Description

  • Medium-sized oriole.
  • Slender body.
  • Long tail.
  • Long, slightly decurved bill.
  • Male bright orange with black bib, female drab yellow.

Male Description

Entirely orange or orange-yellow head, nape, rump, and underparts. Black bib and narrow mask. Back black, with pale edges in fresh plumages. Wings black with two white wingbars, the upper one wide and bold, the lower one narrow. Tail black.

Female Description

Olive yellow on head, rump, and tail. Underparts dull, but brighter yellow. Back dull grayish olive. Two white wingbars, top one broader than lower. Wings dusky.

Immature Description

Immature male resembles adult female, but with a black bib and mask less extensive than adult male. Head, nape, tail, and underparts yellow. Wings dusky gray with two white wingbars. Black bib. Immature female resembles adult female.

Range Map Help

Hooded Oriole Range Map
View dynamic map of eBird sightings

Similar Species

  • Altamira Oriole of south Texas is patterned like a male Hooded Oriole, but is larger and more robust with an orange shoulder and less black on the face.
  • Adult male Bullock's Oriole has a black top of head and nape, a black eyestripe, a large white patch in the wings, and a mostly orange tail with a black tip. First-year male has black eyeline and whitish belly.
  • Orchard Oriole female and first-year male similar to female and first-year male Hooded Oriole, but has shorter tail, shorter, less down-curved bill, and has a distinct second wingbar.
  • Male Streak-backed Oriole is more reddish, has an orange and black streaked back, and a shorter tail. Adult female resembles first-year hooded male, but has a mostly orange, streaked back, two distinct wingbars, and a shorter tail.