Photo Source: eBird.com
Pictured is the African Golden Oriole, which I haven't seen ... or have I?
Flummoxed by Weavers,
I find myself unable to identify
anything yellow.
Any yellow and black bird
could be one of nine species of Weavers,
all of which look remarkably similar.
They all have spherical basket-like nests,
they all sound squawky and excited,
and they are all
without exception
yellow and black.
Hm.
“Oh no, they’re all different,”
explains my Ugandan guide.
“They are different sizes,
and the colors are different,
and they make different sounds.”
Hm.
Could have fooled me.
Could an Oriole
whiz by me
pretending to be a Weaver?
(Which one, I have no clue.)
Absolutely.
The African Golden Oriole
has a black mask
like the Spectacled Weaver…
Hm.
When you Google
“Yellow Bird”
you find out that they are
supposed to symbolize
joy and positivity.
To me they symbolize
confusion
and a vague sense
that all the yellow birds
are an impossible mystery.
The African Golden Oriole,
joyful and positive as it is,
with its red bill
and its black wing edged in yellow,
with its beauty so very golden,
is no exception.
©Ruth Bowen Hersey
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