Scott's Oriole

Scott's Oriole is a striking oriole of arid, mountainous terrain in the southwestern United States and Mexico, closely associated with yuccas and agaves, which it uses heavily for nesting and foraging. Adult males have a solid black head, throat, back, and tail contrasting sharply with lemon-yellow underparts, rump, and shoulder patch, along with a white wingbar. Females are more subdued, olive-yellow with variable dusky streaking on the back and a less strongly contrasting head pattern.

Named after American general Winfield Scott by ornithologist Darius Couch, this oriole favors dry, rocky slopes studded with yucca, agave, and desert scrub, often at higher elevations than other southwestern orioles, and its bold whistled song is a characteristic sound of the desert foothills.

Key Field Marks

• Adult male: solid black head, throat, upper back and tail; bright lemon-yellow underparts, rump, and shoulder patch; white wingbar
• Female: olive-yellow with dusky streaking on the back, less contrasting head
• Fairly long, straight, sharply pointed bill
• Often perches on yucca stalks or agave flower spikes

Similar Species

• Bullock's Oriole and Hooded Oriole males are orange, not yellow, distinguishing them readily from Scott's Oriole.
• Audubon's Oriole is also yellow-and-black but has a solid black hood extending further down and lacks the sharply demarcated black back/yellow rump pattern; ranges barely overlap in south Texas.

Habitat

Scott's Oriole favors arid, rocky foothills and mountain slopes with yucca, agave, and desert scrub, typically at moderate elevations in desert mountain ranges.

Range

Breeds across the desert Southwest, including parts of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, south through the highlands of Mexico.

Migration

Most populations migrate short distances, moving into Mexico for the winter, though some individuals in the mildest parts of the range may remain resident.

Behavior

Scott's Orioles often perch conspicuously atop yucca stalks to sing, and forage by probing flowers and gleaning insects from desert vegetation.

Voice

The song is a rich, whistled series of clear notes, often compared in quality to a Western Meadowlark's song; calls include a sharp, chattering note.

Feeding

Feeds on insects, nectar from agave and other desert flowers, and fruit, playing an important role as a pollinator of some desert plants.

Nesting & Breeding

The female weaves a hanging nest, often suspended from the underside of a yucca leaf or in a tree, using yucca fibers and grass. She incubates 3-4 eggs alone.