Jamaican Oriole
Jamaican Oriole by Charles J. Sharp
Scientific Name: Icterus leucopteryx
Other Common Name: Banana Katie
Status: Least Concern
Range: Jamaica
Habitat: Gardens, Forests
Breeding Season: March - August
Clutch Size: 3 - 5 eggs
Description
Jamaican Orioles are medium sized birds primarily yellow in colour with black and white wings, a long black tail and a thick black beak.
Range
The Jamaican Oriole is native to Jamaica and can be found across the island. Non breeding populations can also be found on the islands of San Andres and Nicaragua.
Habitat
The Oriole can be found in most habitats ranging from gardens to forests. It is a communal rooster and groups of individuals can be found perched on branches together.
Diet
Their diet mostly consists of nectar, insects and fruits such as oranges and bananas. The Jamaican Oriole is also called Banana Katie due to this. They use probing and a bark-flaking technique to locate insects for food.
Reproduction
Their breeding system starts in March and ends in August producing a clutch size of 3 to 5 eggs.
Jamaican Orioles have a monogamous mating system and both parents also build the nest together with materials such as horse hairs and Spanish moss and feed the young.
The nest of the Jamaican Oriole is vulnerable to nest invasion by the eggs of the Shiny Cowbird. This invasion and other nest predation can result in Jamaican Oriole eggs being eaten by the parent cowbird.
Conservation Status
Least Concern
The Jamaican Oriole is very common and has stable populations across the island.
