Relatively large, short-tailed, yellow-and-black oriole of the arid southwest. Adult male is yellow with black head, breast, back, wings, and tail; wings have a yellow shoulder patch and white wing bars. Female is much duller greenish-yellow below with mottled black feathering mostly restricted to the throat and bib. Crown, nape and auriculars are olive to gray-green. Mantle on adult female is grayish to grayish-olive with indistinct black streaking. Immatures retain dull female-like plumage through most of their second year. Young males have a more solid grayish head with a mottled black throat and bib similar to adult female. By first-spring head is mostly black. Young females are the only age/sex that lacks black feathering on the throat bib. Their crown, nape and auricular patch is grayish-olive. Yellow underparts are dull like adult female and first-year male. In all plumages, note the long, pointy bill. Basal third to half of lower mandilble is silvery-gray in all age classes.

Length: 23 (cm) Wingspan: 32 (cm)

Voice:

Clear series of low whistles; also harsh, single-note calls.

Habitat:

Dry, arid areas, especially with oaks and yuccas.

Behavior:

Like other orioles, nest is a hanging pouch, suspended from branches of a tree or shrub. Males sing constantly; females also sing.

Feeding:

Gleans foliage for insects, fruit, berries, and nectar. Sometimes visits sugar water feeders.