Orioles (Oriolidae)

Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus) - HBW 13, p. 729

French: Loriot à capuchon noir German: Schwarzkopfpirol Spanish: Oropéndola Encapuchada
Other common names: (Asian/Oriental/Indian) Black-headed Oriole; Ceylon Black-headed Oriole (ceylonensis)

Taxonomy: Coracias Xanthornus Linnaeus, 1758, “America”; error = “Bengal”, north-east India.
A member of the “Asian black-headed group”, which also includes O. hosii, O. cruentus, O. traillii and O. mellianus. Nomenclature of races in Indian Subcontinent uncertain because of uncertainty over precise location of type locality. Race reubeni formerly referred to by name andamanensis, but latter name invalid, as preoccupied; perhaps better merged with ceylonensis. Proposed race thaiacous (described from Koh-Lak, in SW Thailand) synonymized with nominate. Five subspecies currently recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

xanthornus (Linnaeus, 1758) - N India (Himalayan foothills) and S Nepal E to Myanmar and S China (S Yunnan), S to N & S Thailand, N Peninsular Malaysia (Langkawi I only) and Indochina (except N Vietnam).
maderaspatanus Franklin, 1831 - Ganges plain and peninsular India.
ceylonensis Bonaparte, 1850 - Sri Lanka.

See all 5 subspecies

xanthornus (Linnaeus, 1758) - N India (Himalayan foothills) and S Nepal E to Myanmar and S China (S Yunnan), S to N & S Thailand, N Peninsular Malaysia (Langkawi I only) and Indochina (except N Vietnam).
maderaspatanus Franklin, 1831 - Ganges plain and peninsular India.
ceylonensis Bonaparte, 1850 - Sri Lanka.
reubeni Abdulali, 1977 - Andaman Is.
tanakae Nagamichi Kuroda, 1925 - NE Borneo (SE Sabah and adjoining Kalimantan) and adjacent islands.