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ABA Online Bird Photo Quiz 38
ANSWER
Bright orange, black and white usually mean that we are dealing with an oriole. Sure, American Robin, Varied Thrush, Black-headed Grosbeak have these colors, but not with the same bright orange shown by our bird. Within most of the ABA area, we aren't presented with significant challenges in identifying orioles, at least in comparison with, say, birding in Mexico. But identifying orioles is not always easy. Orioles exhibit considerable variation – age variation, sex variation, geographic variation. And, all variability can lead to a lot of headaches, particularly to the south of the US-Mexico border. So what do we do when presented with an unknown oriole?
The first clue is to study the bill, which is usually the best way to begin to identify orioles. Wouldn't you know it, we can't see the bill! Well, the coloration is helpful. The bright orange eliminates things like Scott's, Audubon's, and Orchard Oriole. Let's take a close look at the pattern of white on the wings, which is one of the few things that we can see well. Most male orioles have white edging that includes the tertials, secondaries, and primaries. On our bird, however, there is a distinct black gap to the edging of most of the secondaries. This creates a bold white triangle on the tertials and some secondary edges. This pattern is only shown by Spot-breasted Oriole. Also note that from what we can see of the greater coverts, they are uniformly black. Other similar orioles have white tips to the greater coverts that create a bold white wing bar. While this does varies by age and sex, any Altimira, Hooded, or Streak-backed Oriole that was this bright orange, would show at least some white on the greater coverts.
This Spot-breasted Oriole was photographed in Kendall, Florida in April of 2006.
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The following people (listed by submission date beginning with the earliest) submitted correct answers for the May Bird Photo Quiz – Spot-breasted Oriole:
- Trey McCuen, Macon, Ga
- Andy Bankert, Melbourne Beach, FL
- Lee Barnes, Seattle, WA
- Malkolm Boothroyd, Whitehorse Yukon
- Stephanie Smith, Lansing, MI
- Jim Hoover, Jefferson Hills, PA
- Mark Brown, Dalmatia, Pennsylvania
- crystal malick, Dalmatia, Pennsylvania
- David Pavlik, Lansing, Michigan
- TJ Hathcock, Cleveland, OK
- Jeff Hole, Orlando, Florida
- Roberto Cavalieros, Brooklyn, NY
- Aaron Bilyeu, Placerville, CA
- Johanna Wielfaert, East Lansing, MI
- Will Richardson, Truckee, CA
- Tim Avery, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Hope Batcheller, Petersburgh, NY
- Roxanne Clark, Eugene, OR
- Aaron Brees, Des Moines, IA
- Steve Hampton, Davis, CA
- Eva Pratt, Inman, SC
- Benjamin Griffith, Merrimack, NH
- Rob Young, Alexandria, VA
- Nancy Chen, Cambridge, MA
- Lauren Franko, Piscataway, NJ
- Hannah Nadel, Fresno, CA
- Rich Swartzentruber, Salem, Oregon
- Francesc Jutglar, Cardedeu, Spain
- Jenifer Detter, Eureka Springs Arkansas
- Jeff Belser, Pembroke, Ma.
- Matt Anthony, Bel Air, MD
- Erica, Bothell, Wa
- Philip Kline, Tucson, AZ
- Michael Lester, Haworth, NJ
- Bill Maynard, Colorado Springs, CO
- Trey Barron, Amarillo, TX
- Heather Collins, West Berlin, Vermont
- Dan Walker, Canyon, Texas
- Michael Hilchey, Albuquerque, NM
- Alex Harper, Miami, FL
- Ben Young, Salem, OR
- Stephen Mitten, Belize City, Belize
- Robert Lengacher, Tallahassee, FL
- Mary Austin, Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Kevin Kerr, Guelph, ON
- Douglas Robberson, Tigard, OR
- Nila Petty, Saint Louis, MO
- Neal Reilly, Schenectady, NY
- Jack Gibbons, Galena, IL
- David Worthington, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Malia Wenny, Galena, Illinois
- George Cresswell, Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Jeremy Faucher, Enfield CT
- Stephen Joly, Kamloops, BC
- Chris Warren, Fort Collins, CO
- Jason Waanders, Washington, DC
- Guthelles, CT
- Nels F. Thompson, Owatonna, MN
- Noah Gaines, Flagstaff, AZ
- Mark Stevenson, Tucson, AZ
- Pam Baum, Tucson, AZ
- Craig Bateman, Novi, MI
- Alex Lin-Moore, Houston, TX
- Lori Fujimoto, Colorado Springs, CO
- Bertram E.B. BREE, Jersey Island, European Channel Isles, near France.
- Marcelo Brongo, Barcelona, Spain
- Robert Furrow, Cambridge, MA
- Richard Garrigues, San Antonio de Belen, Heredia, Costa Rica
- Bert Harris, Huntsville, AL
- Peter Osswald, Lindenhurst, N.Y.
- Rory Cameron, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
- Gerald J Brow, Cedar Michigan
- Alan J. Knue, Seattle, WA
- Matthew Kenne, Algona, Iowa
- Mike murphy, San Bruno, CA
- Angie Langevin, Sewanee, TN
- Joris Elst, Wuustwezel, Belgium, Europe
- Gary W. Potter, Sanger, California
- Jimmy Kirshberger, Liberty, IN
- Sean Prockter, Waterville, ME
- Adam Nisbett, Saint James, MO
- Ray Hasey, Yuba City, CA
- Matthew Daw, Raliegh NC
- Greg Zupansic, Eugene, Oregon
- Aaron Boone, Columbus, Ohio
- Shaun Hicks, Morrisville, PA
- Nikki Belmonte, Ayer, MA
- Tom Smith, Ayer, MA
- Kevin Welsh, Novi, Michigan
- Orrin Harvey, Tucson, AZ
- Marcel Gauthier, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, Canada
- Andrea Green, Cody, WY
- Wayne Meyer, Denison, TX
- Lauren Tompkins, Kneeland, CA
- Brian Ahern, Tampa, FL
- Yves Gauthier, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Jon R Mundall, Connell, WA
- Javier de Leon, Edinburg, TX
- Tracy McCarthey, Tempe, AZ
- Philip Chaon, Cleveland Ohio
- Ryan Dudragne, Swift Current, SK
- Matt Pike, Lacey WA
- Will Miller, Boise, ID
- Matthew Schneider, Silverton, OR
- Jerome Wood, Huntington NY
- Rob Fergus, Perkasie, PA
- Karl E. Mayer, Saint Clair Shores, Michigan
- Greg Gillson, Hillsboro, Oregon
- Brad Wilkinson, Tallmadge, Ohio
- Cathleen Frey, Pensacola, FL
- Jim Law, Canton, MI
- John Anderson, Reno, Nevada
- Micah Malueg, Hooper, Colorado
- Monica Berger, Brooklyn, NY
- Nick Anich, Ashland, WI
- Elaine MacPherson, Sierra Madre, CA
- Colin Woolley, Lee Vining, CA
- James McKay, Mesa, AZ
- Ben Coulter, Erie, PA
- Ethan Kistler, Newton Falls, Ohio
- Emily Hole, Gotha, Florida
- Amy Donoghue, Boca Raton, FL
- Hannah Hole, Gotha, Florida
- Josh Shramo, Dillon, CO
- Lois Blevins Lindsay, Frankford WV
- L. Craig Swanson, Benton City, WA
- Rachel King, Brooklyn NY
- Richard Green, Brooklyn NY
- Robert Doster, Albuquerque, NM
- Gary Sheeran, Trezville, SC
- Thomas Lechleitner, Fort Lupton, CO
- Harry Hooper, Tallahassee, Florida
- Jim Mountjoy, Galesburg IL
- Emily Rich, Clinton, NY
- Tim Hochstetler, millersburg
- Leta Bird, Maxeys, GA
- Gary Bird, Maxeys, GA
- matthew rueger, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
- Nicolas Halle, St-Nicolas,Qc,Canada
- Ciara Huntington, Boise, Idaho
- candice anderson, asheville nc
- John Menz, Cape Elizabeth, ME
- Chris Benson, Rochester, MN
- David Hollie, Ringgold, GA
- Amy Taracido, Coal Center, PA
- Amanda Auger, Portland, OR
- Jan Allen, Livingston, Texas
- Liis Veelma, Winnipeg, MB
- Blue Rubinstein, New York, NY
- Jill McElderry-Maxwell, Springfield, PA
- James P. Smith, Amherst, MA
- Thierry Fournet, Paris, France
- David Crisman, Tigard, OR
- Chris Wood, Portland, Oregon
- Bobby Walsh, Valencia, CA
- Kevin M. Kincaid, Indianapolis, IN
- Lauren Harter, Flagstaff, AZ
- Rob Poniatowski, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI
- Lindsay Swanson, Portland, OR
- Linda Swanson, San Francisco, CA
- Suzanne Feustel, Babylon, New York
- Sandra Lautrup, Effingham, Illinois
- Carrie Braden, Portage la Prairie, MB
- Kathryn Holm, Tamuning, GU
- Adrian Azpiroz, St. Louis, MO
- Adriana Rodriguez, St. Louis, Missouri
- Steven Matthews, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
- John Goldman, Huntington, New York
- Joel Mundall, Loma Linda, CA
- Travis A. Mahan, Decatur, Illinois
- Marcus Mundall, Williamsport, MD
- Arun Bose, Richmond, VA
- Jim Kopitzke, Mesa AZ
- Erik Mundall, Yilan, TAIWAN
- Pilaiporn Mundall, Yilan, TAIWAN
- Eddie Mundall, Klamath Falls, OR
- Laurina Mundall, Klamath Falls, OR
HOW DID YOU COMPARE?
As stated in the quiz rules, answers must consist simply of the Common or English name exactly as it appears in the ABA Checklist.
The following list shows the number of submissions for each species guessed.
| Spot-breasted Oriole |  | 177 |
| Altamira Oriole | | 47 |
| Hooded Oriole | | 37 |
| Baltimore Oriole | | 11 |
| Scarlet Tanager | | 5 |
| Bullock's Oriole | | 2 |
| Albert Towhee | | 1 |
| Black-Headed Grosbeak | | 1 |
| Flame-colored Tanager | | 1 |
| Orchard Oriole | | 1 |
| Vermilion Flycatcher | | 1 |
| Western Spindalis | | 1 |
| Western Tanager | | 1 |
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The photo and answer for this quiz were supplied by Chris Wood.
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