Icterus oberi
Montserrat oriole

Icterus oberi is endemic to the island of Montserrat and is the island's national bird. A small protectorate of the United Kingdom, Montserrat is only 102 km2 in area. These birds are commonly known as Montserrat orioles. A combination of catastrophic volcanic activity that started in 1995 and has continued to the present, and frequent hurricanes have decimated the birds’ population. The species is in danger of extinction. ("Montserrat Oriole Reseach Details - The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds", 2006; Jaramillo and Burke, 1999; The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States of America, 2006)

Montserrat orioles are found in the humid mountain forests of their small eastern Caribbean island home. These unique birds seem to prefer areas of dense vegetation, at high altitudes, where the air is cooler. (Jaramillo and Burke, 1999; Raffaele et al., 1998)

Montserrat orioles are the only sexually dimorphic, sedentary, tropical orioles. In males, the tail and wings are entirely black, as well as the breast. The belly, rump, and the lower back are yellowish-tawny. Females are yellowish olive from the face down the belly to the rump. Their wings are a darker olive brown, and their tails are olive. Immature males closely resemble mature females, yet they have darker backs, and may have a few black throat feathers. Juveniles also resemble mature females, but they have a yellow wash about their rumps, underparts, and crowns, greenish-yellow faces, and olive flanks. (Jaramillo and Burke, 1999)

There is no published data available on the lifespan of Montserrat orioles. However, with a captive breeding program underway at the Jersey Zoo, lifespan data may be forthcoming. ("Montserrat Oriole", 2001)

Montserrat orioles spend much of their time foraging for insects on the undersides of leaves in dense mountain forests. They are active during the day. They are usually seen either alone or in pairs, unless they are still watching after their recently fledged young. (Jaramillo and Burke, 1999)

Home Range

There is no published data on the size of Montserrat oriole territories.

Montserrat orioles call only in the breeding season, during which they call infrequently. The call is composed of single notes, sung at intervals of 2.5 to 3 seconds, comparable to the tempo red-eyed vireo vocalizations. The notes are generally only one or two short syllables or low gurgles. Siegel (1983) described the call as a sharp "chic" or sharper "chuck," while Raffaele et al. (1998) describe as a "series of loud whistles and a harsh, scolding chuur call." (Jaramillo and Burke, 1999; Raffaele et al., 1998; Siegel, 1983)

Montserrat orioles are thought to be almost entirely insectivorous in the wild, foraging for insects on the undersides of leaves. Frugivorous feeding has not been well documented in the wild, but a captive population at the Jersey Zoo is fed papaya and mango. Montserrat orioles have not been observed eating nectar. ("Montserrat Oriole", 2001; Jaramillo and Burke, 1999; Raffaele et al., 1998)

Researchers from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds studied predation of Montserrat oriole nests through the use of infrared micro-cameras. Very high rates of predation by rats were observed; it was thought that most nesting failures were a result of rat predation. ("Montserrat Oriole Reseach Details - The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds", 2006)

As the ecosystem of Montserrat has been perturbed so much through human deforestation and volcanic activity, and because there are so few Montserrat orioles left, it is hard to evaluate their ecosystem roles. However, as they do prey on insects, they may have a role in controlling insect populations. Volcanic ash-falls have negatively impacted insect populations, and subsequently decreased the amount of food available to Montserrat orioles. The degree to which they eat fruit in the wild is not well understood, but it is unlikely that they are instrumental in seed dispersal or pollination. Populations of introduced rats frequently prey on the nests of I. oberi, resulting in a high percentage of nest failure. ("Montserrat Oriole Reseach Details - The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds", 2006; "Montserrat Oriole", 2001)

Negative economic impacts on humans are highly unlikely, due to their small population numbers.

These birds provide a novel opportunity for the study of the evolution of sexual dimorphism. While their rareness makes them an exotic species for observation, most of their habitat is within restricted zones on Montserrat, making casual birding quite difficult. ("Montserrat Oriole Reseach Details - The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds", 2006)

Since 2000, I. oberi has been listed by the IUCN as a critically endangered species. The IUCN outlines several reasons for decline of Montserrat orioles, including habitat destruction due to agriculture, invasive alien predators, drought, flooding, and the island's infamous volcanic eruptions.

Montserrat orioles are the only sedentary tropical orioles that are sexually dimorphic. Phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA indicates that Montserrat orioles are members of a group of Caribbean Island orioles. Icterus oberi is most closely related to two other species in the Lesser Antilles: Icterus laudabilis and Icterus bonana. (Omland, Lanyon, and Fritz, 1999)

Researchers at the University of Maryland are attempting to understand why plumage is not brightly colored in females of this species, and why other tropical non-migrant species of the genus Icterus have bright plumage in both males and females.

Icterus oberi is in grave danger of extinction. It poses an immense challenge for conservation, and could likely become extinct in the wild within the next few decades. However, the captive breeding program at the Jersey Zoo aims to prevent the loss of this unique species. The threatened existence of Montserrat orioles serves as a grim reminder of both the degree to which human activities can impact other organisms, and how unforgiving the geological and meteorological systems of this planet can be. ("Montserrat Oriole", 2001)