Black-headed oriole

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title: "Black-headed oriole" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["orioles", "oriolus", "birds-of-sub-saharan-africa", "birds-described-in-1823"] description: "Species of bird" topic_path: "general/orioles" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-headed_oriole" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of bird ::

::callout[type=note] Not to be confused with an alternate name for the [[dark-throated oriole ::

| image = Oropéndola enmascarada (Oriolus larvatus), parque nacional Kruger, Sudáfrica, 2018-07-25, DD 29 (recortada).jpg | image2 = Black-headed Oriole (Oriolus larvatus) (022A-WA03044X0032-0012M0).ogg | image2_caption = Song recorded in the Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | genus = Oriolus | species = larvatus | authority = Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823 | range_map = Eastern black-headed Oriole (Oriolus larvatus) IUCN range 2016.svg | range_map_caption =

The black-headed oriole (Oriolus larvatus) is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae. It is found in Africa and has a very striking appearance with a bright yellow body, contrasting black head and flesh-coloured beak.

Taxonomy and systematics

Some authorities have considered the mountain oriole to be a subspecies of the black-headed oriole. Alternate names for the black-headed oriole include the African black-headed oriole, Eastern black-headed oriole and Eastern oriole.

Subspecies

Five subspecies are recognised:

• O. l. rolleti – Salvadori, 1864: Originally described as a separate species. Found from southern Sudan and southern Ethiopia to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and central Kenya
• O. l. reichenowi – Zedlitz, 1916: Found from Somalia to eastern Tanzania
• Kenya black-headed oriole or tropical blackhead oriole (O. l. angolensis) – Neumann, 1905: Found from Angola and Namibia to western Tanzania and northern Mozambique
• O. l. tibicen – Lawson, 1962: Found from coastal southern Tanzania to coastal southern Mozambique
• Southern black-headed oriole (O. l. larvatus) – Lichtenstein, MHK, 1823: Found from southern Zimbabwe to inland southern Mozambique and eastern South Africa
• Eastern blackhead oriole (O. l. additus) – Lawson, 1969: Found in Eastern South African and southern Mozambique. Considered a synonym of O. l. tibicen and replacement name by the IOC.

Description

The black-headed oriole has a bright yellow body, contrasting black head and flesh-coloured beak. The voice is a liquid-sounding warble, accompanied by imitations and whistles.

Distribution and habitat

It breeds in much of sub-Saharan Africa from South Sudan and Ethiopia in the north to South Africa in the south.

It inhabits dry tropical forests, especially acacia and broad-leaved woodlands, and dense shrubland areas, where it is more often heard than seen despite the brightness of its plumage.

Behaviour and ecology

The black-headed oriole forages in the canopy, feeding on small fruit as well as large insects. The young are fed mostly with caterpillars.

Gallery

Image:Waterbergoriolesdownsized.jpg|A pair in courtship ritual, riparian zone of central Waterberg, South Africa Image:Oriolus larvatus subsp larvatus, Lushof, Naboomspruit, b.jpg|Tail-fanning is one element of oriole courtship Oropéndola enmascarada (Oriolus larvatus), parque nacional Kruger, Sudáfrica, 2018-07-25, DD 44.jpg|Individual in the Kruger Park, South Africa.

References

References

1. BirdLife International. (2016). "''Oriolus larvatus''".
2. "IOC World Bird List 13.1". IOC World Bird List Datasets.
3. "HBW 13 – Family text: Oriolidae (Orioles and Figbirds)". Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::