Dear Bing,
This bird was discussed fairly extensively today on ID Frontiers. Some major
experts including Peter Pyle and Al Jamarillo (who wrote a book on blackbirds
and orioles) have weighed in. Their consensus is that the bird is a Bullock's
Oriole. I will quote from their comments as follows:
Al Jamarillo: "One thing that has not been talked about is the bill pattern.
Oriole species differ in their bill pattern, sometimes this is a really good
identification clue. However, bill patterns can be hard to assess in photos
where there is strong light that may cause reflection or "shine" on the bill.
"Northern" orioles have a pretty unique bill pattern where the mandible is
essentially all gray, with a small amount of dark on the gonys. The gray of the
bill INVADES the maxilla. In other orioles the maxilla is all dark. The
invasion of the gray to the maxilla creates a bill pattern in
Bullock's-Baltimore that looks like a largely gray bill with a dark triangle
shaped area on the base of the mandible, and sometimes a bit of dark on the
gonys; such that with an eye squint it looks like a bill where there is a
diagonal gray stripe from mandible base to outer half of maxilla. On Orchard
the bill is dark on maxilla, and usually substantially dark on tip of mandible,
so it looks like a dark bill with a gray wedge at the base of mandible. Some
have a bit of gray around the nostrils.
These differences are hard to describe in words, but they are quite
consistent. Check out photos of other orioles, like Altamira vs Streak-backed
vs Spot-breasted vs Hooded and you can see how bill pattern, as well as shape
varies such that many of these birds you could separate on bill alone! On the
whole what I see on the bill of this bird in Oregon is of a "Northern" Oriole,
not an Orchard.
Having studied the hybrid situation in W Kansas, as an assistant to Jim
Rising some moons ago, it is pertinent to note that the hybrid zone between
Bullock's and Baltimore is narrow but significant. In the hybrid zone, no bird
we saw was pure. Birds across the hybrid zone are clinal on average, more
Bullock's like in the west part of the zone, Baltimore like in the east.
However, all sorts of variations occur. What these birds look like as first
year, or winter females is really unknown at this point. Molt of the hybrids is
even wonky, with the suggestion that some hybrids may have a mixed molt between
the differing strategies used by Bullock's and Baltimore.
The features that are not Bullock's like in this bird, can be accounted for by
suggesting it may have mixed genes. Again, remember we are not talking about
intermediate, F1 type hybrids, but a gene soup...sort of like Puget Sound Gull.
The last photo (17) shows some interesting features. The inner greater
coverts are distinctly grayish. That is a definite Bullock's feature. The short
tail and fat body, again Bullock's. Bill - mandible is essentially all pale,
with it bleeding into the maxilla, definite Bullock's-Baltimore. Dark lores,
dark eyeline, and distinct supercilium. All Bullock's."
Peter Pyle's latest comments: "Thanks to Wayne Hoffman's more indicative
images I agree now with a first-winter bird that has replaced all of the wing
coverts as well as the inner two tertials (s8-s9). However, all of what I
stated earlier applies to formative birds as well as basic - both HOOR and BAOR
undergo most/all of the preformative molt in the Mexican monsoon area and
return as first-spring birds in more-worn plumage than we are used to.
Formative males usually have black in the throat by now and, along with its
perceived small size and thin bill, the Newport Oregon bird (a NEOR?) appears
to be a first-winter female. This bird could be within range of a first-winter
female BUOR with a later molt or some other plumage influence. I agree with Al
Jaramillo and others that the bill shape and size does not represent OROR. I'm
not as sure whether or not a bit of BAOR introgression can be excluded."
Peter Pyle's first comments: "This appears to be an adult female, not a
first-winter bird, which may be part of the problem. I base this on the even
look to the wing coverts (i.e. no molt limits), blackish rather than brownish
primary coverts, and broad and unworn-looking rectrices. We typically do not
see fresh basic plumages north of the border in either Bullock's or Orchard
orioles (both molt in the Mexican monsoon area in Aug-Sep and are worn by the
time they return in spring). As such I think it may be just fine for a fresh
adult female BUOR. If that is a black feather in the throat it could even be
something that adult female BUORs can occasionally show, especially if the
feather was lost and replaced outside of normal pigment-deposition cycles. It
could also have a dash of Baltimore Oriole in it's DNA to explain the extensive
orange but the bill seems thin and I'd think we'd see more dark in the head on
an adult female, etc., so I'd go with BUOR."
Julian Hough: "The vagaries of color and light withstanding, and a lack of
recent experience with Bullock's, my feeling is the bird is a Bullock's because:
- the bird seems to have a more contrasting head pattern with a diffuse
paler super and darker crown
- to me, the wing bars of Orchard oriole almost look like two parallel
lines, vaguely recalling those of Bay-breasted Warbler. The Newport bird has
the outer webs of the greater coverts broadly edged white which doesn't create
the same impression to my eyes and better fits with Bullock's.
- the broad white edgings to the primaries seem obvious and a better fit
with Bullock's (not sure this is a feature, but Orchard's seem to be less
marked here?)
- the dark centers to the median coverts are saw-toothed - diagnostic (?) of
Bullock's
Hard to judge the size and the subtle plumage colors (yellow and green in
Orchard versus yellow and grey in Bullock's) and light in photos, but for me,
the plumage marks seem to add up to be more indicative of Bullock's rather than
Orchard."
Chris Hill: "Maybe this has been said before and I missed it, but even granted
vagaries of light and photo processing… It’s orange. Even given David Irons’
comments about how it looked much less orange in life, this southeastern birder
cannot turn those images into a Orchard Oriole in my mind. Just does not
compute. I guess I’m in the BUOR with some BAOR admixture camp."
Terry Bronson: "I see Orchard Orioles regularly in West Virginia, where they
are very common. Bullock's Oriole has never been recorded here, and I have
virtually no experience with that species.
I would NOT call this an Orchard Oriole for the following reasons:
1. To me Orchard Oriole is a "cute" bird; this bird in some of the photos has a
"fierce" appearance.
2. Orchard Orioles are less bulky than House Sparrows,which are less bulky than
Bullock's Orioles. According to the Sibley guide, average weight for Orchard is
0.67 oz. (19 grams); average weight for House Sparrows is 0.98 oz. (28 grams);
average weight for Bullock's is 1.3 oz (36 grams). In the photos that include a
House Sparrow, the oriole is clearly a much bulkier bird.
3. Although Bullock's generally show much white or dirty white on the
underparts below the breast, this is variable. James D. Rising in his Birds of
North America Online account of Bullock's states: "Yellow in Bullock’s Oriole
extremely variable, ranging from lemon yellow to bright orange yellow, similar
to color of Baltimore Oriole; at least some of this variability reflects diet
(JDR)."
4. A couple of the photos appear to show faint streaking on the clearly gray
back, which is a trait of Bullock's. Orchards do not show such streaking and
the back is more greenish than gray.
A vagrant female Hooded Oriole, which looks very much like a female Orchard
Oriole, is a possibility in Oregon, according to the Sibley range map.
However, at 0.84 oz. (24 grams), it is also less bulky than a House Sparow,
So I'd have to say this appears to be a Bullock's Oriole."
I also posted a message to ID Frontiers last night about the bird as below
shortly after Dave Irons posted a message to that list. As you mentioned, it
should be possible to get an even more accurate measurement of the bird's
length than what I came up with. All one would need to do would be to measure
the width of the base of the bird feeder that the bird is perched on in Wayne
Hoffman's photo at
http://www.birdfellow.com/photos/thumbnails/954-newport-oregon-oriole-jan-1-2-2016?id=13469.
Even if the bird is a little shorter than a Red-winged Blackbird, that
doesn't make it an Orchard Oriole. The NG Field Guide to the Birds of N.
America says that the average length of a Bullock's Oriole is 8 1/4 inches and
that the average length of a Red-winged Blackbird is 8 3/4 inches. Sibley's
guide gives the average length of a Bullock's Oriole as 9 inches.
Sincerely,
Tim Janzen
-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Janzen [mailto:tjanzen@xxxxxxxxxxx] ;
Sent: Wednesday, January 6, 2016 12:56 AM
To: 'David Irons'; 'BIRDWG01@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'
Subject: RE: [BIRDWG01] Newport, Oregon Oriole
Dear Dave,
When I looked at these photos earlier this afternoon after you posted the link
to them on OBOL my impression was that the bird is a Bullock's Oriole. In my
opinion the bird seems to be a little too big to be an Orchard Oriole. This
bird was discussed this evening at Portland Audubon's Birder's Night and
several of the birders there who had seen the bird thought that it was on the
small side for a Bullock's Oriole. However, in looking at your photos of the
bird, particularly the one at
<http://www.birdfellow.com/photos/thumbnails/954-newport-oregon-oriole-jan-1-2-2016?id=13463>
http://www.birdfellow.com/photos/thumbnails/954-newport-oregon-oriole-jan-1-2-2016?id=13463
where the oriole is seen with a House Sparrow, it appears to me that the ratio
of the lengths of the two birds is about 1.35:1. A House Sparrow should be
about 6 1/4 inches long. Therefore the length of the oriole should be about 8
1/2 inches. This would be consistent with the length of an average Bullock's
Oriole. In addition, the bill doesn't seem to be quite as decurved as I would
expect for an Orchard Oriole. The contrast between the grayish green back and
the orange-green rump also seems to point in favor of the ID as being that of a
Bullock's Oriole. If this an Orchard Oriole, it seems to have more orange
tones in it than I would expect on an Orchard Oriole. The orange/yellow
coloration seems to extend down further on breast than one would expect for a
Bullock's Oriole, but the lower belly of the bird does appear to have some gray
tones, which would be consistent with the identification of the bird as a
Bullock's Oriole. Immature male Orchard Orioles seem to have yellowish
coloration extending from the breast all of the way down to the vent based on a
series of photos I have reviewed. Another photo of the bird taken by Andy
Frank is also available for review at
<http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2pSfRw9y1BU/VowmTUKrPHI/AAAAAAAAusU/Vyn8j5Avs20/s1600/Birds%2B2016%2B004.JPG>
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2pSfRw9y1BU/VowmTUKrPHI/AAAAAAAAusU/Vyn8j5Avs20/s1600/Birds%2B2016%2B004.JPG.
Input from others who have extensive experience with wintering Bullock's
Orioles and Orchard Orioles would be helpful.
Sincerely,
Tim Janzen
Portland, Oregon
From: obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of ;
BING WONG
Sent: Wednesday, January 6, 2016 10:12 PM
To: OBOL
Subject: [obol] Hatfield Marine Science Center Oriole Pictures
I visited the Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport today and saw the suspect
Orchard Oriole. I have posted several pictures to Oregon Birding Association
Photos Facebook. At Portland Audubon Birder's night yesterday, there were
discussions about the size of the bird and how to get a measurement. I took
pictures of a blackbird at the feeder with hopes of getting the oriole also. It
cooperated and you can see clearly that the oriole is smaller (length) than the
blackbird. Bullocks should be longer. You can also measure the birds vs the
length of the base of the feeder to confirm. I'm not an expert, so I'll leave
the ID to you folks.
Bing Wong
Portland, OR
