A Bird With The Quickest Digestion ; The Black-headed Oriole

Mahoora Tented Safari Camp - Wilpattu National Park

Fun facts

The Black-headed Oriole, is a bird which forages in mixed species and flocks on the canopies of trees, consuming a variety of invertebrates, fruits and seeds. They can be found in the stems of a fork in a slender tree branch, shaped into a deep cup, woven with old man’s beard strands, moss and grass.

Lesser known facts

Whilst the species will feed mainly on fruits, insects, berries and nectar, they are also known to have a very quick digestion period that is of around 5 minutes! They are known to nest in trees, in forks at the end of a branch, and it’s observed that there is no nesting period for the species. The mother bird is often observed to lay two eggs, and once hatched, the chicks are said to feed on caterpillars.

Whereabouts

This species of birds, informally known as the ‘Black-headed Oriole’ (Oriolus xanthornus), is a member of the ‘Oriole’ family of passerine birds. They are a resident breeder in tropical South Asia, including India, Sri Lanka and in the East from Indonesia, living predominantly in open woodlands and cultivations. This image of the bird was taken by our nature photographer Mindaka Mahela, in our Mahoora Tented Safari Camp, in Udawalawe National Park.