Scott's Oriole

On May 31, 2026 I was at Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary near the Huachuca Mountains in southeastern Arizona and saw my first Scott's orioles. My guide, Jake Thompson, pointed it out to me, but it took me a little while to realize it was a bird I'd not seen before, a lifer. I only saw a couple of females, not a male. 

It is named after General Winfield Scott from the Mexican war. It is sometimes called the mountain or desert oriole, and it is actually both, as it is most common in elevated arid habitats, particularly the desert-facing slopes of mountains, or semiarid plains between mountain ranges, which is exactly where I was when I saw them. 

Illustration of a female from Birds of the World.

Illustration of a male from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. I was surprised to see it could be found so close to my home in Redlands. I asked AI where the best place to find it would be for me locally and it suggested Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and Covington Park next door to it; Joshua Tree NP, such as in Black Rock Campground which is among Joshua trees and yucca shrublands, where they like to breed; and desert-facing slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains such as Phelan and Pinon Hills at mid-elevations in pinyon/juniper woodlands and Joshua Tree stands.