Eurasian Golden Oriole

Oriolus oriolus

Brilliant yellow male that's almost impossible to see despite the color. Sings a flute call from deep canopy.

Population: 13.4–22.5 million mature individuals (BirdLife International/IUCN Red List assessment, published 2017 based on 2016 review; population trend stable)
Habitat: Deciduous and mixed broadleaf woodlands (oak, poplar, ash), riverine forest, orchards, groves, and parks/large gardens with tall trees, typically below 600 m (locally to 2000 m in parts of its range); on migration and in African winter quarters uses drier open woodland, savanna, oases and isolated fig trees
Fun fact: Despite the male's vivid black-and-gold plumage, the Eurasian Golden Oriole is notoriously hard to spot in leaf canopy and is far more often heard than seen, its fluting "weela-wee-ooo" song carrying through woodland long before the bird itself is glimpsed.
Range: Breeds across most of Europe (west to Britain and Iberia, though now effectively extinct as a British breeder — last confirmed UK breeding 2009) and western/central Asia east to the Altai and western China; winters in central and southern Africa, migrating mainly at night
Diet: Mainly insects (especially caterpillars) and other invertebrates (spiders, earthworms, snails) gleaned from foliage or caught in flight; also fruit and berries (especially in late breeding season and on migration); occasionally small vertebrates (lizards, mice, nestlings)
Size: 0.245 m
Wingspan: 0.455 m
Lifespan: 10 years

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