Bullock’s Oriole
Icterus bullockii
We once thought Baltimore Oriole and the Bullock’s Oriole were the same species. We called it the Northern Oriole. In 1995, committees who make such decisions separated them into the two orioles we know today. The Bullock’s being a western bird and the Baltimore an eastern bird, but the two birds barely look alike. Science has determined by genetic analysis that these two species are not closely related. Yet where their ranges overlap, they will inter-breed and hybridize.
Today, the modern view about Bullock’s Oriole taxonomy proposes two subspecies:
- I. b. bullockii lives in southwestern Canada south through western USA except central California south to western Arizona and northern Mexico. They spend winters in central Mexico and south to Guatemala.
- I. b. parvus lives in central California, southern Nevada and western Arizona, and south to northwestern Mexico.
In my explorations of the western USA, I’ve met Bullock’s Orioles in Oregon, Idaho, west Texas, and throughout much of California, including my southern California yard. On my last day in Texas, as I headed towards home in 2020, I found some nice birds at a roadside rest area about one hour east of Fort Stockton (Texas). I’d stopped to break the monotony of the interstate, and I was surprised at how many birds I found. Including Bullock’s Orioles, there were 3 oriole species, 3 flycatcher species, and cactus wrens.
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Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Clark Dry Lake on Rock House Road. Anza Borrego State Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:03:30 6:41 |
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Location:
Anza Borrego State Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X3092-BullocksOriole-2 |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Viewed from my rooftop. Poway, California (San Diego County). |
Date Taken: 2006:04:03 15:05 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/6.3, 1/60 |
File Name: Cut_JCD2546BullocksOriole-1 |
| © 2006 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Poway, California (San Diego County). |
Date Taken: 2006:04:03 15:04 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 390 mm, f/6.3, 1/80 |
File Name: JCD2542BullocksOriole-1 |
| © 2006 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Goodan Ranch, Sycamore Canyon. Poway, California. San Diego County 2008-06-14. |
Date Taken: 2008:06:14 11:20 |
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Location:
Gooden Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: JCD6945BullocksOriole |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Clark Dry Lake on Rock House Road. Anza Borrego State Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:03:30 6:41 |
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Location:
Rockhouse Trail |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X3092-BullocksOriole |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: 2003 Immature bird. Poway, California (San Diego County). |
Date Taken: 2003:07:26 10:40 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 4000 ED, |
File Name: BullocksOriole-A3G26d28 |
| © 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: 2006 From my rooftop in Poway, California (San Diego County). |
Date Taken: 2006:04:03 15:05 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/6.3, 1/60 |
File Name: BullocksOriole_JCD2546 |
| © 2006 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Mono Lake Picnic Area in the northwest shore. Near Lee Vining in Mono County, just off US-395. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:12 8:13 |
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Location:
Mono Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: BullocksOriole_D5X8536-MonoLake |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: This bird was probably nesting in the same grove as were the Yellow-Billed Magpies. Along Jolan Road on the way the the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road south west of King City California. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:17 10:35 |
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Location:
Jolan Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/9.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X1262-BullocksOriole |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: This bird was probably nesting in the same grove as were the Yellow-Billed Magpies. Along Jolan Road on the way the the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road south west of King City California. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:17 10:34 |
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Location:
Jolan Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/9.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X1253-BullocksOriole |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Along Link River Trail, where the Klamath River feeds into Lake Ewauna at Veteran's Park in Klamath Falls Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:05 13:03 |
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Location:
Veteran's Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X9226-BullocksOriole |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: The riparian woods along Link River Trail hosts these nesting birds, where the Klamath River feeds into Lake Ewauna at Veteran's Park in Klamath Falls Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:05 13:02 |
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Location:
Link River |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X9211-BullocksOriole |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: The riparian thickets below Swan Falls Dam at the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area south of Meridian Idaho. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:01 11:16 |
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Location:
Birds of Prey NCA |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X6797-BullocksOriole |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Birding Island, Payette River Wildlife Management Area outside of Payette Idaho. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:31 13:45 |
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Location:
Birding Island |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X6584-BullocksOriole |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Birding Island, Payette River Wildlife Management Area outside of Payette Idaho. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:31 13:45 |
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Location:
Birding Island |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/8000 |
File Name: D3X6573-BullocksOriole |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Birding Island, Payette River Wildlife Management Area outside of Payette Idaho. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:31 13:30 |
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Location:
Birding Island |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X6548-BullocksOriole-Female |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Birding Island, Payette River Wildlife Management Area outside of Payette Idaho. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:31 13:30 |
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Location:
Birding Island |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X6535-BullocksOriole-Female |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Juvenile bird foraging at Lake Poway. Poway (San Diego County), California. |
Date Taken: 2010:07:06 13:23 |
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Location:
Lake Poway |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/640 |
File Name: JCD2371.BullocksOriole.Juvenile |
| © 2010 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: Along Link River Trail, where the Klamath River feeds into Lake Ewauna at Veteran's Park in Klamath Falls Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:05 13:02 |
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Location:
Veteran's Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X9209-BullocksOriole |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Bullock's Oriole(Icterus bullockii) |
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Description: I found some nice birds, including three oriole species at a roadside rest area about one hour east of Fort Stockton Texas to break the monotony of the I-10 freeway. I was surprised how many birds I found. There were 3 oriole species, 3 flycatcher species, and cactus wrens. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:09 18:32 |
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Location:
East Pecos County Rest Area |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: BullocksOriole_D505670-EastPecosCounty |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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