Philippine Oriole Oriolus steerii Scientific name definitions

18–20 cm; 45–48 g. Nominate race has crown, neck and most of upperparts bright olive-green, rump yellow; lores grey, ear-coverts washed greenish; upperwing grey, primaries edged greyish white, secondaries dull greenish, wing-coverts grey; central tail feathers blackish green, other rectrices black with yellow terminal patch on inner webs; chin, throat and upper breast uniform grey, lower breast and belly white, boldly streaked black, undertail-coverts yellow; iris red or reddish brown; bill dark red or red-brown; legs dark greyish brown. Sexes alike, female slightly smaller than male. Immature undescribed. Race assimilis is uniformly darker olive-green above than nominate, has lower breast and belly greyer, ear-coverts dark grey, tail all black with only very small terminal yellowish-white spots on inner webs; <em>samarensis</em> is yellower above than nominate, so that rump only slightly yellower than mantle and back, has upper chest paler grey and slightly mottled brown, lower chest and flanks washed with yellow, wing-coverts and edging of remiges concolorous with back; cinereogenys is similar to previous, but yellower above, especially on rump (which also streaked with olive), ear-coverts grey (not grey-green), much whiter below, but streaked greyish on chin, throat and upper breast; basilanicus is similar to nominate but rather smaller, and rump duller yellow.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Forest, forest edge and second growth, below 1200 m.

Sedentary.

No information on diet. Forages alone, in pairs or in small flocks, mainly in canopy; sometimes joins mixed-species flocks.

Loud, hollow and melodious . Nominate race has trumpet-like high-pitched “per-jek”, repeated continuously but speeding up, and a resonant “eeerk eeerk eeerk” or “kok-kok-kok-kok”; also “hooooo-op”, first note rising slightly. Variety of other calls, all fluty and rhythmic, e.g. “da de hooou”, “chit-di-di hooooi” and “chip wuuu wu”.

No information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Species is fairly common to common in parts of its range, which extends over an estimated 400,000 km². Population is believed to be currently stable. Race assimilis is thought probably extinct; last recorded on Cebu in 1906, with an unconfirmed report there in 2000, but no sightings during dedicated surveys of forest birds in 2001–2004.