Streak-backed Oriole

About the Streak-backed Oriole

The streak-backed oriole (Icterus pustulatus) is a medium-sized species of passerine bird in the family Icteridae, the oropendolas, New World orioles, and New World blackbirds. It is found in Mexico, in Central America from Guatemala to Costa Rica, and occasionally in the United States.

The streak-backed oriole was formally described in 1829 with the binomial Psarocolius pustulatus. The streak-backed oriole's further taxonomy is unsettled. The IOC, AviList, and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) assign it these eight subspecies:

However, as of late 2025 the Clements taxonomy does not recognize I. p. maximus and I. p. pustuloides. It instead recognizes I. p. yaegeri (Phillips, 1995) and I. p. dickermani (Phillips, 1995). Both Clements and the American Ornithological Society recognize groups within the species:

"Streak-backed oriole (West Mexican/pustulatus group)": I. p. microstictus, I. p. pustulatus, and I. p. yaegeri "Streak-backed oriole (streak-backed/sclateri group)": I. p. dickermani, I. p. formosus, I. p. alticola, and I. p. sclateri

"Streak-backed oriole (Tres Marias)": I. p. graysonii This article follows the eight... Wikipedia →