Golden Oriole

NL: Wielewaal
D: Pirol
F: Loriot d’Europe

Latin name: Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Bird group: Orioles

Sound: Very characteristic: usual call is a smooth, clear, whistling ‘wiela-wieoo’. When alarmed, a raw, jay-like ‘skaah’ and other scratching sounds.

Field characteristics: 25 cm. Male unmistakable: bright yellow plumage and black bridle, wings and tail; tips of outer tail feathers yellow. Female and juvenile alike, although female is more brightly colored: upperparts, flanks and anal region greenish yellow; wings and tail darker and greener; other parts cream colored with faint yellow haze and fine gray striped. Heard more than seen, it lives hidden in canopy foliage. Flight heavy and undulating. Usually alone or in pairs, but sometimes in groups on the trek.

Appearance: Fairly common breeding bird throughout Europe, except the British Isles and Scandinavia, where vagrant.

Habitat: Tree dweller with a preference for wooded areas with mainly deciduous forest. Builds nest in a branch fork.

Food: Mainly insects, but also considerable amounts of fruit after the breeding season.

Song/call: