Bay Area Bird Alert - Bullock’s Oriole!

May 4, 2007 on 10:41 pm | In Bird Alert |

I’ve been waiting to say this ever since we launched the Birding Sonoma County blog:

THE ORIOLES ARE HERE! THE ORIOLES ARE HERE! THE ORIOLES ARE HERE!

illustration of Bullock's Oriole

Above you will see my sketch in praise of what is, without a doubt, one of the most opulent, splendiferous birds we ever see in Sonoma County and the greater San Francisco Bay Area: Bullock’s Oriole. I wait for the coming of this wild bird as I imagine my ancestors awaited the coming of spring sunshine. The merest glimpse of Bullock’s Oriole is, to me, like taking a bite out of the perfect mandarin orange.

Measuring some 8″-9″ from beak to tail, Bullock’s Oriole, Icterus bullockii, presents a unique pattern of black beard, cap and eyestripe against the glowing orange of his eyebrow and cheek. The orange then continues over the front of the bird, generally turning more yellowish toward the belly. Fully adult male birds are the most vibrant, with juvenile males being more of a deep yellow, and females being paler yellow and grey. Note the brilliant white wing bars and strong, pointed beak. I love the excellent justice in the fact that just shortly after we have lost our halloween-colored winter Varied Thrushes, Bullock’s Orioles arrive from Central and South America to light up the spring with their gem-like hues.

Where to See Bullock’s Orioles
Any place in the SF Bay Area that features a combination of deciduous trees, brushy growth and open space may potentially be hosting these birds for the warm season as they glean fruit, nectar and caterpillars. Fortunately, I can be even more specific than this. If you want to see Bullock’s Orioles, go to the creek on Willowside Road in Santa Rosa, CA. between the end of April - June. They are there right now (May 4th, 2007). We saw a fabulous male perched in the willow and oak growth along the path beyond the west entrance to the creek.

Last year, we had our greatest ever oriole experience in this same spot. A flock of 20 or more birds made the creekside come to life with dazzling color, right above our heads. Amazing! Listen for their long rich series of whistles that sound like jazz or classical music, depending upon the bird you tune into. They also give off short, blackbird-like calls.

And, speaking of blackbirds, did you know that orioles and blackbirds are relations in the Icterids family? Your first thought might rightly be, “but orioles are so vivid and blackbirds are so plain.” Let me start to make the relationship clearer by pointing you to this photo of a Yellow-headed blackbird, which winters in the Central Valley of California. Compare that with our Bullock’s Oriole, above. Are you starting to see some similarities of that glossy black + brilliant color combination? Orioles come in black combined with orange, yellow and red. Blackbirds come in black combined with orange, yellow and red. The overall shapes of the two kinds of birds, right down to their beaks are quite similar. If we Bay Area residents think of orioles as astonishing and blackbirds as plain, this is because the blackbirds we see here (Brewer’s, Red-winged and Tri-Colored) are rather subdued compared to other species in their family. Believe me, the Scarlet-headed blackbird of South America would knock your socks off! All in all, the Icterids group represents some of the world’s most colorful wild birds.

Further Notes on the Bullock’s Oriole
This bird is also sometimes referred to as the Northern Oriole but this name encompasses both Bullock’s and the eastern Baltimore Oriole, which looks similar but has an entirely black head. The two birds frequently hybridize. 3-6 streaked, white eggs are laid in a finely-woven basket, often near water. Look for them both in low brush and up in trees.

Our other visiting oriole is the Hooded Oriole, Icterus cucullatus which looks comparable to Bullock’s with it’s black beard, but lacks the eye stripe and cap. On rare occasions, Scott’s Oriole and the Orchard Oriole have been spotted in the North Bay.

Now is the time to get out there and look for Bullock’s Oriole - a bird of surpassing splendour!

15 Comments »

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  1. […] Greetings! A few days ago, we posted our bird alert that the Bullock’s Orioles have arrived in the Bay Area and that we’d spotted our first at the creek on Willowside Rd. Willowside Rd. deserves a post of its own for anyone who doesn’t know about one of Sonoma County’s best birding spots. Read on to learn about this special riparian habitat, and meet the newest bird on our lifelist: […]

    Pingback by Birding Sonoma County » Birding Willowside Creek, Santa Rosa. See Black-headed Grosbeak! — May 8, 2007 #

  2. Thanks for your beautiful sketch of the Bullock’s Oriole. I just spotted one for the first time two days ago, and saw the Oriole again today. He is attracted to the hummingbird feeders I just put up. He will indeed put his beak into the feeder for the nectar. He’s quite striking. He is very bright yellow indeed. As per the description above, he must be a young male. I will look for him to turn more orange.

    Comment by amy — June 6, 2007 #

  3. What a beautiful drawing of a Bullock’s Oriole. I just spotted one for the first time two days ago. He is very bright yellow - I was quite surprised to see him. He is attracted to the hummingbird feeders I just put up, and indeed, drinks from them.

    Comment by amy — June 6, 2007 #

  4. Thank you for your drawing of the Bullock’s Oriole. I’ve lived in the Bay Area for over 20 years and never seen one until today, when my husband yelled, “That’s not a hummingbird!” I ran to see, and there was a beautiful, bright yellow and black bird sitting on our hummingbird feeder and having some nectar. We are hoping that he will stick around for the summer.

    Comment by fancykat — July 4, 2007 #

  5. Hi Fancykat,
    Congratulations on seeing your first oriole! Truly, they are one of the most beautiful birds we ever get to see here in the Bay Area. Sounds like maybe you have a first year bird if he is more yellow than orange.

    I’m glad you liked the painting! And, I hope your oriole does stick around, and maybe brings some of his friends, too. A flock of Bullock’s Orioles is a not-to-be-forgotten sight!

    Thanks for taking the time to comment, and we hope you’ll stop by again soon.

    Comment by info — July 4, 2007 #

  6. I saw a male and female in late spring of 2006 at our former house on Hwy. 116 near Odd Fellows Road between Forestville & Guerneville and that orangey color knocked my socks off! I’ve lived most of my life in Sonoma County I had never seen anything like them before… They sat for at least a half-hour in an apple tree sapling right next to the road not 12 feet from my living room window before I was finally able to identify them!

    Comment by theflowerlady — July 14, 2007 #

  7. Nothing like an oriole to knock your socks off, I agree. They take the cake in Sonoma County for colorful bird!

    Thanks for adding your sighting to this post.

    Comment by info — July 14, 2007 #

  8. I got several great photos of a male bullock’s oriole a few days ago in a tree right next to my house! I thought he was a goldfinch at first but he was bigger than that and the thin black “eyeliner” going back almost thru the exact center of his eye gave him away! As the sun was setting, the reddish glow in the light turned him the color of an overripe lemon or underripe orange (take your pick) ;o) - Magnificent!

    Comment by theflowerlady — April 16, 2008 #

  9. There is what looks very much like this bird (Bullock’s Oriole)and what I assume is his mate, feeding from my hummingbird feeder, and we live in Redding, California!

    Comment by Faeth — May 25, 2008 #

  10. My mistake! Our Redding bird is NOT a Bullock’s Oriole, it is a HOODED ORIOLE!

    Comment by Faeth — May 25, 2008 #

  11. I have a pair nesting in one of my yards in Bernal Heights, SF. Truely magnificent to see.

    Comment by melzie — July 4, 2008 #

  12. I just saw one in my neighbors’ orange tree!! Knocked my socks off as I’d never seen such a thing (I’m a city dweller-Mission District, S.F.)
    The yellow was SO deep, practically orange itself. And the black hood and tail… well the contrast was just stunning.
    After it flew away, I immediately went inside to try to find some information about what I’d just seen and I was led to your site.

    Thank you for being here.

    Comment by demjams — May 22, 2009 #

  13. Aren’t they fantastic birds, Demjams? So glad you got to see one! This is their time of year in Northern California and the sight of them never fails to thrill us. Thanks for sharing your sighting and I’m glad this article was helpful to you!

    Comment by info — May 22, 2009 #

  14. There’s one sucking on my hummingbird feeder right now, in Saratoga, CA. I was wondering what it was; beautiful bird.

    Comment by Jorge — May 24, 2009 #

  15. I believe I have a pair of Oriolesalong the American River Parkway in Fair Oaks.
    I think it was a Oriole feeding in a flat dish feeder with wild bird food.
    The head had 3 stripes. 2 white stripes with an orange center stripe.
    I could not find this marking in any bird book
    is this an Oriole?

    Comment by fairoakien — July 31, 2009 #

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