Golden Oriole

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Golden Oriole, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

Species of European Conservation Concern	Least Concern
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)	Least Concern
Schedule 1 license required (to disturb)	Yes
Birds Directive Annex 1	No
Listed on the Annexes of	WCA(I,IV), Bern(III)

The Golden Oriole was a scarce but regular breeding species in poplar plantations in East Anglia during the 1980s and 1990s but breeding numbers at the former core population at Lakenheath collapsed from 27 pairs in 1987 to four pairs in 2005 (Mason & Allsop 2009). This decline continued subsequently and the species is now effectively extinct as a breeding species in the UK. Occasional singing males continue to be reported to the Rare Breeding Birds Panel in most years, but the last confirmed breeding was in 2009 (Eaton et al. 2021).

Golden Orioles have declined significantly and no longer breed regularly. During 2008–11 breeding was confirmed in two 10-km squares in the Suffolk fens and possible breeding in 27 squares. Many records away from the Fens probably refer to migrants; non-breeding birds were reported in a further 93 10-km squares in Britain and five in Ireland.

Occupied 10-km squares in UK

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

The change map highlights losses in the Fens and at other historical breeding sites.

% change in range in breeding season (1968–72 to 2008–11)

+180%

Golden Oriole is a former regular breeder and now mostly a spring overshoot migrant.

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

Maximum Age from Ringing

10 years 1 months 1 days (set in 1996)

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

Ring size	C (pulli D)
Field Codes	2-letter: OL | 5-letter code: GOLOR | Euring: 15080

For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name

Causes of change

The drivers of the UK declines are unclear but the British population is linked to population trends in the Low Countries which are declining and this may have made the isolated UK population more vulnerable by reducing immigration. The declines in the Netherlands have been linked to habitat degradation but this is considered unlikely to have driven the UK extinction as sufficient suitable habitat was still available (Mason & Allsop 2009).