Olive-backed Oriole

The Olive-backed Oriole is a slender, medium-sized songbird with olive-green upperparts and creamy underparts marked with fine dark streaking that runs from the throat down to the belly. A striking red eye stands out against the otherwise subdued plumage, and the bill is slightly downcurved and pinkish-red at the base.

More often heard than seen, it spends much of its time in the leafy canopy of trees, where its rich, mellow, fluty song, one of the most pleasant sounds of Australian woodland, is a familiar feature of the dawn chorus across much of the continent's forested regions.

Key field marks

• Olive-green upperparts with fine darker streaking on cream underparts
• Bright red eye
• Slightly downcurved, pinkish-based bill
• Slender build, often remaining hidden in dense foliage

Similar species

• Australasian Figbird has bare colored skin around the eye rather than a plain red iris, and males show a plainer, unstreaked body.
• Female or juvenile figbirds are heavily streaked but lack the oriole's plain red eye without bare surrounding skin.

Habitat

Inhabits woodlands, open forests, forest edges, and well-vegetated parks and gardens.

Range

Widespread across northern, eastern, and southeastern Australia, from the Kimberley region across the Top End, down through Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and into southeastern South Australia.

Migration

Partly migratory, with southeastern populations often moving north for winter, while northern populations tend to be more sedentary.

Behavior

Usually solitary or in pairs, foraging quietly in the tree canopy and often more easily detected by voice than sight.

Voice

A rich, mellow, fluty song of rolling, liquid phrases, often rendered as "orry-ole" repeated melodiously.

Feeding

Feeds on fruit and berries as well as insects gleaned from foliage and bark.

Nesting

Builds a deep, cup-shaped nest of bark strips and grass, slung hammock-like between a horizontal tree fork; lays 2-4 cream eggs with dark blotching.