The Isabela oriole (''Oriolus isabellae'') is a species of the oriole family

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

in the Philippines. The

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

was presumed to be extinct for many years until its rediscovery in December 1993 near

Diffun Diffun, officially the Municipality of Diffun ( ilo, Ili ti Diffun; tl, Bayan ng Diffun), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Quirino, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 56,102 people. Commercial establi ...

Quirino Quirino, officially the Province of Quirino ( ilo, Probinsia ti Quirino; tl, Lalawigan ng Quirino), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Cabarroguis. It is named after Elp ...

, and in Mansarong in September 1994. Additional sightings were made in San Mariano, Isabela. and

Baggao Baggao, officially the Municipality of Baggao ( ibg, Ili nat Baggao; ilo, Ili ti Baggao; tl, Bayan ng Baggao), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 87,753 peopl ...

Cagayan Valley Cagayan Valley ( ilo, Tanap ti Cagayan; fil, Lambak ng Cagayan), is an administrative region in the Philippines, located in the northeastern section of Luzon Island. It is composed of five Philippine provinces: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, ...

It It is found in moist lowland forest up to 440 masl. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Isabela oriole is commonly confused with the much more common white-lored orioles and black-naped orioles. It is differentiated by its extremely large bill grey bill, uniform olive-yellow plumage and lack of white on its lores. The Isabela oriole is most closely related to the white-lored oriole. Both species are closely related to the paraphyletic

Philippine oriole The Philippine oriole (''Oriolus steerii'') or grey-throated oriole is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The species is fairly comm ...

. The Isabela oriole is sometimes considered to form a superspecies with the

dark-throated oriole The dark-throated oriole (''Oriolus xanthonotus'') is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae. It is found in Southeast Asia through Borneo and the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests where it is ...

and the

. Alternate names for the Isabela oriole include the green-lored oriole and olive-lored oriole.

Distribution and habitat

The Isabela oriole is now confined to the lowland forests in the

Northern Sierra Madre Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

mountain range in Luzon. It is frequently seen in the canopy and middle storeys of forests and also forest edge or patches up to 440 masl. It is seen in mixed flocks with other birds such as bar-bellied cuckooshrikes,

black-and-white triller The black-and-white triller (''Lalage melanoleuca'') is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest A forest is an area of land dom ...

blackish cuckooshrike The blackish cuckooshrike (''Edolisoma coerulescens'') or the blackish cicadabird or Luzon graybird, is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Some taxonomists place this species in the genus Analisoma ...

s and other forest birds. It has not been recorded in

Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the enti ...

province since 1947 despite an intensive search done in 2014.

Conservation Status

The Isabela oriole has a known population of about 50-250 mature individuals and is assessed as Critically Endangered based on its extremely small and fragmented population. Organisations such as Buhay-Ilang and the Mabuwaya Foundation are working to conserve them with educational programs and festivals celebrating this bird. The oriole is now a

Flagship species In conservation biology, a flagship species is a species chosen to raise support for biodiversity conservation in a given place or social context. Definitions have varied, but they have tended to focus on the strategic goals and the socio-economi ...

for the North Sierra Madre National Park. Since 2015, a research and conservation project for the Isabela Oriole has been implemented in Baggao by the Mabuwaya Foundation. Information, education and communication, community consultations are held in Baggao with the local government, the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources The Department of Environment and Natural Resources ( fil, Kagawaran ng Kapaligiran at Likas na Yaman, DENR or KKLY) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for governing and supervising the exploration, developmen ...

and local residents. Plans are underway to declare the oriole site in Baggao a Critical Habitat and to encourage ecotourism.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1585174

Isabela oriole The Isabela oriole (''Oriolus isabellae'') is a species of the oriole family endemic to Luzon in the Philippines. The bird was presumed to be extinct for many years until its rediscovery in December 1993 near Diffun, Quirino, and in Mansarong in ...

Birds of Luzon Endemic fauna of the Philippines Critically endangered fauna of Asia