Golden Oriole

The Golden Oriole is a scarce but regular summer migrant which stops off on its way to Europe. Annual sightings are common around the Formentor Peninsula in the spring as well as in the south of the Island. They can often be seen flying along the Boquer Valley and also in the back lanes around Puerto Pollensa especially Llenaire. In the autumn there are more likely to be seen in the south and recently in Mondrago but also see Salines. This year 2019 they have been seen close up and exhausted at Cabrera and also several in the Can Curassa. Until recently there were a few breeding pairs in the UK at Lakenheath in Suffolk and here they bred in some tall poplars but sadly not in recent years. In Europe sadly in some of the countries where hunting is part of their culture these birds along with Turtle doves are high on the list.

Technical description

Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus) is the only member of the oriole family of passerine birds breeding in northern hemisphere temperate regions. It is a summer migrant in Europe and western Asia and spends the winter season in central and southern Africa. The male is striking in the typical oriole black and yellow plumage, but the female is a drabber green bird. Orioles are shy, and even the male is remarkably difficult to see in the dappled yellow and green leaves of the canopy. In-flight they look somewhat like a thrush, strong and direct with some shallow dips over longer distances. They feed on insects and fruit, building their nests in tree forks where they lay 3–6 eggs. Their call is a screech like a jay, but the song is a beautiful fluting weela-wee-ooo or or-iii-ole, unmistakable once heard.