Maroon oriole

{{short description|Species of bird}} {{Speciesbox | image = Maroon oriole (Oriolus traillii ardens) male Xindian.jpg | image_caption = male ''O. t. ardens'', Taiwan | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 17 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2018 |title=''Oriolus traillii'' |volume=2018 |article-number=e.T22706446A130378420 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22706446A130378420.en |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref> | genus = Oriolus | species = traillii | authority = (Vigors, 1832) | synonyms = * ''Pastor Traillii'' }}

The '''maroon oriole''' ('''''Oriolus traillii''''') is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae. It is found in Southeast Asia.

==Taxonomy== The maroon oriole was originally described in the genus ''Pastor''. Along with the black, black-and-crimson and silver orioles, it belongs to a clade of red and black orioles.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Phylogeny and biogeography of Oriolidae (Aves: Passeriformes) |author=Jønsson, K.A. |author2=Bowie, R. C. K. |author3=Moyle, R. G. |author4=Irestedt, M. |author5=Christidis, L. |author6=Norman, J. A. |author7=Fjeldså, J. |name-list-style=amp |journal=Ecography |volume=33 |pages=232–241 |year=2010 |issue=2 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0587.2010.06167.x |doi-access=free |bibcode=2010Ecogr..33..232J |url=http://www.nrm.se/download/18.25ba04a21296cc434f980005871/J%25C3%25B6nsson%2Bet%2Bal%2BOriolidae.pdf |archive-date=2013-11-13 |access-date=2017-03-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113045024/http://www.nrm.se/download/18.25ba04a21296cc434f980005871/J%25C3%25B6nsson%2Bet%2Bal%2BOriolidae.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Four subspecies are recognized:<ref>{{Cite journal|title=IOC World Bird List 7.1 |journal=IOC World Bird List Datasets |url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/ioc-lists/crossref |doi=10.14344/ioc.ml.7.1|doi-access=free}}</ref> * ''O. t. traillii'' – (Vigors, 1832) occurs from the Himalayas to southern China, northern Indochina and northern Thailand * ''O. t. ardens'' – (R. Swinhoe, 1862) occurs in Taiwan * ''O. t. nigellicauda'' – (Swinhoe, 1870) occurs on Hainan * ''O. t. robinsoni'' – Delacour, 1927 occurs in southern Indochina thumb|A Maroon Oriole

==Description== thumb|''O. t. ardens '' The maroon oriole has maroon and black plumage with a black head, neck and wings with a blueish beak. The females have slightly darker bodies and the juveniles have lighter bodies.<ref name=go1>{{Cite web| title = Taiwan Ecological Conservation| access-date = 29 April 2011| url = http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/ecology/English/animals_e/LowAnimals_e/LowAnimals08_e.html}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The adult male is glossy crimson-maroon in color, with black head, neck and wings and a chestnut-maroon tail. The females and immature males have a greyish-white underpart with black streaks.<ref name="abc" /> Colouration varies somewhat across the range, with those in the Indian Subcontinent having duller colours and those in Southeast Asia having brighter colours, also tending to somewhat reddish tones.

==Distribution and habitat== The maroon oriole is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam. In India, it is found from Himachal Pradesh east to Arunachal Pradesh and the hills of Manipur.<ref name="abc">{{cite book|last1=Ali|first1=Salim|title=The Book of Indian Birds|date=1996|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=India|page=227}}</ref>

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

==Behavior and ecology== The maroon oriole lives alone or in pairs. The nesting season is from April to May. The nest is a deep massive cup of bast fibre that is bound with cobwebs. Both male and female birds share the parental duties.<ref name="abc"/>

===Diet and feeding=== The maroon oriole eats wild figs, berries, insects and nectar.<ref name="abc"/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

maroon oriole maroon oriole Category:Birds of North India Category:Birds of Nepal Category:Birds of Eastern Himalaya Category:Birds of Yunnan Category:Birds of Hainan Category:Birds of Taiwan Category:Birds of Southeast Asia maroon oriole Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Category:Birds of Myanmar Category:Taxa named by Nicholas Aylward Vigors