Black-naped Oriole

Black-naped Oriole

Scientific Name: Oriolus chinensis

Malay Name: Kunyit Besar

Chinese Name: 黑枕黄鹂

Range: Breeding Range: (OR) widespread

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: diffusus, andamanensis, macrourus, maculatus, mundus, sipora, richmondi, lamprochryseus, insularis, melanisticus, sangirensis, formosus, celebensis, frontalis, stresemanni, boneratensis, broderipi, chinensis, yamamurae, suluensis.

Local Subspecies: diffusus, maculatus

Size: 24.5-27.5 cm

Identification: Golden-yellow medium-sized bird with a broad black band across eye and hindcrown. Iris reddish, bill pink. Most of wings black. Subspecies diffusus told apart from nominate race as tertials and inner secondaries yellow on outer edge rather than black. 

Habitat: Widespread. Urban parks, scrub, degraded forests, forests, mangroves.

Behaviour/Ecology: Omnivorous, feeding on a wide range of food such as fruits and insects. Sometimes joins mixed flocks in fruiting trees.

Local Status: Very common resident and very rare migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2018)

Location: Widespread, including Central Catchment Forest, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Dairy Farm Nature Park and Kent Ridge Park.

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis
Estimated average number of individuals by week based on eBird data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024
Peak week Jan 01-Jan 07
Early date 01 Jul 2024
Late date 30 Jun 2024
Bar chart not displayed for this species; the migratory diffusus subspecies is much rarer than the resident subspecies, so a bar chart would not provide a proper representation.
Recent records of the diffusus race, likely a rare migrant to Singapore, have been from Dec-Mar.
Black-naped Oriole at Telok Blangah Hill Park. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Juvenile Black-naped Oriole at Pasir Ris Park. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Black-naped Oriole. Photo Credit: Zahidi Hamid
Black-naped Oriole at Jelutong Tower. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Black-naped Oriole at Telok Blangah Hill Park. Photo credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Black-naped Oriole)

References:

BirdLife International. (2018). Oriolus chinensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22706394A130376308.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Black-naped Oriole. Retrieved on May 11, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/black-naped-oriole.

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