Scott's oriole

The Scott's oriole (Icterus parisorum) is a medium-sized icterid (the same family as many blackbirds, meadowlarks, cowbirds, grackles, and others, including the New World orioles).

It is primarily found in the Southwestern United States and south to Baja California Sur and central Mexico. It is very common in Sacramento and south in California. The bird is an infrequent wanderer to eastern North America, with records from NY, PA, VA, KY, TN, NC, SC, GA, and ONT. A bird in NYC's Union Square Park was seen by many in 2007.

The species was first scientifically described by French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1838. Bonaparte named the bird parisorum after the Paris brothers, powerful French financiers of the early 1700s. The English name was given by American soldier and naturalist Darius N. Couch in honor of General Winfield Scott, without knowing that the bird had previously been described by Bonaparte. There have been proposals to rename this species the yucca oriole to reflect its preferred habitat and to address the negative historical connotations associated with its current namesake’s involvement in the Trail of Tears and other episodes of ethnic cleansing in the Southeastern United States.

Description
Measurements:


 * Length: 9.1 in (23 cm)
 * Weight: 1.1-1.4 oz (32-41 g)
 * Wingspan: 12.6 in (32 cm)

Book

 * Flood, N. J. 2002. Scott’s Oriole (Icterus parisorum). In The Birds of North America, No. 608 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.