Bullock's Oriole Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBullock's Oriole
Adult male
Slim but sturdy songbirds with a medium-long tail and a sharply pointed bill. Adult males are bright orange with a black back and large white wing patch. Note black line through the eye and black throat.
© Nancy Christensen / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, June 03, 2019Adult male
A nimble oriole that often perches and forages at the tips of twigs. This video has no audio.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibraryArizona, May 13, 2006Not all videos have sound
Female
Slim and sturdy with a sharply pointed bill. Females have a yellowish-orange head and tail, a grayish back, a whitish belly, and white wingbars.
© Janey Woodley / Macaulay LibraryTexas, May 27, 2017Female
Sharply pointed bill is characteristic of orioles. Female Bullock's have a yellowish-orange head and throat and a whitish belly.
© Matt Davis / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, April 29, 2018Female
Often visits sugar water feeders. This video has no audio.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryArizona, May 01, 1994Not all videos have sound
Adult male
Picks insects from leaves and twigs and sometimes takes nectar from flowering plants.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibraryArizona, May 01, 2006Not all videos have sound
Immature male
Immature males look like females, but have a black throat and a dark eyeline.
© Suzie McCann / Macaulay LibraryTexas, June 03, 2019Immature male
Builds a gourd-shaped nest that is suspended from the ends of flexible branches.This video has no audio.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibraryArizona, May 13, 2006Not all videos have sound
Habitat
Found in open woodland along streams, particularly among cottonwoods. They also occur in orchards, parks, and oak or mesquite woodlands.
© Henry Burton / Macaulay LibraryOregon, June 09, 2017Similar SpeciesBaltimore Oriole
Adult male
Baltimore Orioles have a fully black head and white wingbars instead of a black eyeline and white wing patch seen on Bullock's Orioles.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryOntario, May 06, 2015Similar SpeciesBaltimore Oriole
Adult female
The ranges of Baltimore and Bullock's overlap in the center of the continent—where they both occur, look for Baltimore's plainer, less yellowish head and less white edging on the wing coverts compared to female Bullock's Orioles.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 11, 2011Similar SpeciesHooded Oriole
Adult male
Adult male Hooded Orioles have an orange neck and head whereas adult male Bullock's Orioles have a black neck and head. Hooded Orioles also lack the black eyeline of Bullock's.
© Kevin Groeneweg / Macaulay LibraryKansas, April 27, 2016Similar SpeciesHooded Oriole
Female
Female/immature Hooded Orioles have more yellow on the underparts and lack the trace of an eyeline often seen on female/immature Bullock's Orioles.
© Arlene Ripley / Macaulay LibraryArizona, July 04, 2017Similar SpeciesOrchard Oriole
Female
Immature/female Orchard Orioles are smaller than Bullock's and more greenish-yellow than yellow-orange, especially on the belly where female/immature Bullock's tends to be grayish white.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, October 20, 2015Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Troupials and Allies(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Icteridae)
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