Icterus chrysater
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The yellow-backed oriole (Icterus chrysater) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. Yellow-backed orioles are a yellow-bodied, sexually monomorphic species. They average 21.5 cm (8.5 in) in length from beak to tail; making it a relatively medium-sized oriole species. Exposed skin and claws are bluish-black; in adults, the bill is black, with the base of the mandible becoming bluish-grey.
Adult males display strongly contrasting yellow and black plumage. The wings, tail, shoulders, throat, and face are all black; by contrast, the back and underparts are an extremely bright yellow. Adult females closely resemble males, but yellow parts appear slightly greenish. Despite differences in plumage coloration between sexes, it is likely that this species is extremely difficult to sex in the field.
Immature yellow-backed orioles resemble adult females in overall pattern, but are greener; additionally, the flight feathers, which are black in females, are dark brown. Immature yellow-backed orioles are easily distinguished from adult females by their olive eye-line.
Similar species include the South American yellow oriole (Icterus nigrogularis). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 5 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | San Lorenzo Protected Forest | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 9 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 11 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 12 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 13 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 14 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 15 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 16 | Tayrona National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 17 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 18 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 19 | Cusuco National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Cali | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | Caracas | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 7 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xcaret | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Temaikén | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Aviario Nacional de Colombia | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-backed Oriole sighting in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 362 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 81st most-seen of the 288 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-backed Oriole in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in March–April, June and August–October, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-backed Oriole sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 19
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Yellow-backed Oriole sightings, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Celaque National Park (Honduras, about 30%).
Same genus: Icterus
The closest relatives of the Yellow-backed Oriole that you can see in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (genus Icterus, New World Orioles) are Hooded Oriole (about 50%), Altamira Oriole (about 40%) and Orange Oriole (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-backed Oriole is recorded against all the birds logged in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (362 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
