Ethiopian Black-headed Oriole

SCI Name:  Oriolus monacha
Protonym:  Turdus monacha Syst.Nat. 1 pt2 p.824
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Oriolidae / Oriolus
Taxonomy Code:  dahori1
Type Locality:  Abyssinia.
Author:  Gmelin, JF
Publish Year:  1789
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ORIOLUS
(Oriolidae; Ϯ Eurasian Golden Oriole O. oriolus) Med. L. oriolus  Golden Oriole; this onomatopoeia echoes the melodic calls of the Eurasian Golden Oriole which are such a distinctive feature of European woodlands in the spring; "52. ORIOLUS.  Rostrum conicum, convexum, acutissimum, rectum: mandibula superiore paulo longiore, obsolete emarginata.  Lingua bifida, acuta.  Pedes ambulatorii." (Linnaeus 1766): based on "Oriolus" and "Chlorion" of Gessner 1555, "Picus nidum suspendens" of Aldrovandus 1599-1603, "Galbula" of Willughby 1676, and Ray 1713, "Turdus luteus" of Frisch 1733-1743, "Coracias Oriolus" of Linnaeus 1746, and "Oriolus luteus" of Linnaeus 1750; "Oriolus Linnaeus, 1766, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1, p. 160. Type, by virtual tautonymy, Oriolus galbula Linnaeus = Coracias oriolus Linnaeus, 1758.   ...   Validation under the Plenary Powers of the generic name Oriolus Linnaeus, 1766, by the suppression of older homonym published by Brisson, 1760.  Direction 21, Inter. Comm. Zool. Nomen., 1, Sec. C (C. 12): 161; 178, 1955." (Greenway in Peters 1962, XV, 122). Linnaeus's Oriolus comprised twenty species (O. Galbula, O. chinensis, O. melanocephalus, O. Icterus, O. phoeniceus, O. hæmorrhous, O. persicus, O. mexicanus (No. 8), O. guianensis, O. Baltimore, O. spurius, O. Bonana, O. mexicanus (No. 13), O. dominicensis, O. cayanensis, O. icterocephalus, O. melancholicus, O. capensis, O. aureus, O. chrysocephalus).    
Var. Gridus, Oriotus, Orioblus, Eriolus.   
Synon. Amimeta, Analcipus, Artamia, Baruffius, Broderipornis, Broderipus, Chloreus, Erythrolanius, Euchlorites, Mimeta, Mimetes, Neomimeta, Philocarpus, Psaropholus, Xanthonotus.
• (Icteridae; syn. Icterus † Venezuelan Troupial I. icterus) "GENUS 28.  ORIOLUS Lin. Scopoli Lath. Dum. Icterus Briss. Cuv. La Cép.  Xanthornus La Cép.  (Gilbvogel Germ.  Troupiale, Carouge Gall.  Oriole Angl.)  ...  Species: Oriolus Icterus, Cayanensis Lin." (Illiger 1811); "Oriolus (not of Linnaeus, 1766) Illiger, Prodr. Syst. Mamm. Av., p. 214, 1811—type, by subs. desig. (Zimmer, Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 17, p. 435, 1930), Oriolus icterus Linnaeus." (Hellmayr, 1937, Cat. Birds Americas, Pt. X, p. 102).

oriolus
Med. L. oriolus and aureolus  golden oriole, from its flute-like call (cf. L. aureolus  golden  < aurum  gold).
● ex “Troupiale” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 532 (syn. Icterus icterus).
● "49. CORACIAS.  ...  Oriolus.  3. C. flava alis caudaque nigris.  Ampelis flava, artibus nigris, rectricibus quinque exterioribus restrorsum flavis. Act. Stockh. 1750. p. 127. t. 3. f. 5.  Oriolus. Gesn. av. . . .  Galbula. Aldr. orn. 854. t. 857. 858.  Galbula benghalensis. Edw. av. 185. t. 185.  Picus nidum suspendens. Will. orn. . . t. 36. f. 6. & t. 38. f. 4. Jonst. av. 112. t. 41. f. 8. Raj. av. 68.  Flava avis benghalensis. Alb. av. 3. p. 19. t. 20.  Habitat in Europa, Asia, migratoria avis." (Linnaeus 1758) (Oriolus).

monacha
Late. L. monacha  nun (i.e. hooded)  < Gr. μοναχη monakhē  nun  < μονος monos  solitary  < μοναχοω monakhoō  to make single.
● ex “Moloxita” or “Réligieuse d’Abissinie” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Nun Thrush” of Latham 1783 (Oriolus).

MONASA
(Bucconidae; Ϯ Black Nunbird M. atra) Gr. μονας monas, μοναδος monados  female hermit, nun  < μονος monos  solitary  < μοναχοω monakhoō  to make single; "35. MONASE, Monasa.  Cuculus, Gm.  Bucco, Lath.  Bec garni de soies à la base, plus long que la tête, comprimé par les côtés, entier; mandibules courbées en en base.  Esp. Coucou noir de Cayenne, Buff.   ...   Monasa [μονασης, qui solus vivit]." (Vieillot 1816); "Monasa Vieillot, Analyse, 1816, p. 27. Type, by monotypy, Coucou noir de Cayenne of Buffon = Cuculus ater Boddaert." (Peters 1948, VI, 21).
Var. Monassa, Monasta, Monacha, Monesa, Monaca.
Synon. Barbacou, Barbaculus, Monadon, Monastes, Scotocharis.

MONARCHA
(Monarchidae; Ϯ Black-faced Monarch M. melanopsis) L. monarcha  monarch  < Gr. μοναρχος monarkhos  monarch, sovereign, dictator (see Tyrannus); "Genus. MONARCHA.   Rostrum forte, subelongatum, basi latum, subdepressum; culmine carinato, apice arcuato; mandibula superiore emarginata; naribus basalibus, rotundis, setis plumulisque opertis; rictu vibrissis fortibus instructo.  Alæ mediocres, subrotundatæ; remige prima brevi, secunda duplo longiore, tertia et quinta æqualibus, quarta quæ est longissima, paulo breviori; cæteris gradatim breviscentibus: tertiæ ad sextam inclusam pogoniis externis paulatim in medio latioribus.  Cauda mediocris, æqualis.  Pedes mediocres, acrotarsiis scutellatis, paratarsiis integris.   The powerful construction of the bill of this group separates it at once from the other species of the Muscicapidæ, with which in the depression and breadth at the base of that member, the strength of the rictal bristles, and the general characters of the wings and legs, it otherwise accords. This strength of bill would incline us to place the bird among the Laniadæ, and in the subfamily of Tyrannina, Swains., of which it might thus be considered to form the Australian representative, did not the other characters of its structure evince a more predominant inclination to the Muscicapidæ than to the Tyranni. The group may, however, be considered to stand intermediately between the two families; and might perhaps be referred with equal propriety to either, according to the characters which each naturalist would select as most predominant, and most convenient to guide him in his subdivisions. The habits of the birds of this group, hitherto unknown, will have much influence in determining its exact station.    1. CARINATA.  ...  Muscipeta carinata.  Swains. Zool. Illust. pl. 147." (Vigors & Horsfield 1827); "Monarcha Vigors and Horsfield, 1827, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 15, p. 254. Type, by monotypy, Muscipeta carinata Swainson, 1823 = Muscicapa melanopsis Vieillot, 1818." (Mayr in Peters 1986, XI, 500).
Var. Monacha, Monarches (Gr. μοναρχης monarkhēs monarch).
Synon. Bathmisyrma, Monarcharses, Neopomarea.

SUBSPECIES

Ethiopian Black-headed Oriole (monacha)
SCI Name: Oriolus monacha monacha
monacha
Late. L. monacha  nun (i.e. hooded)  < Gr. μοναχη monakhē  nun  < μονος monos  solitary  < μοναχοω monakhoō  to make single.
● ex “Moloxita” or “Réligieuse d’Abissinie” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Nun Thrush” of Latham 1783 (Oriolus).

Ethiopian Black-headed Oriole (meneliki)
SCI Name: Oriolus monacha meneliki
meneliki
Menelik II Sahle Miriam (1844-1913; reigned 1889-1913) King of Shoa and Emperor of Ethiopia (subsp. Oriolus monacha).