General
Information is from dictionaries and other sources. Comments and corrections welcome. Hover over Green Lettering to see additional information.
Turmeric or Indian saffron (Curcuma longa) is used as a seasoning, in medicine, and to make a yellow dye. It is an areal tradition for prominently yellow-coloured birds to be called 'turmeric birds' in Thai, Lao, Mon, Malay, Vietnamese, and other Southeast Asian languages.
Popularly, the Thai name นกขมิ้น nók kʰa-mîn 'turmeric-bird' refers to yellow birds without regard to their scientific classification, including orioles, ioras, and even pet canaries.
In ornithological Thai, นกขมิ้น nók kʰa-mîn 'turmeric-bird' is restricted to the orioles, and has been extended to all orioles, yellow or not.
Ornithological Thai (unlike ornithological Malaysian) systematically distinguishes the ioras from the orioles by size as นกขมิ้นน้อย nók kʰa-mîn nóaay 'little turmeric-bird'. This term refers to all ioras, again regardless of actual colour.
Species names
ORIOLINAE | ||||||||
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SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN |
THAI |
S.E. ASIAN |
EAST ASIAN |
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Oriolus | ||||||||
Latin |
English |
Thai |
Other Th |
Malaysian |
Indonesian |
Vietnamese |
Chinese |
Japanese |
Oriolus xanthonotus | Dark-throated Oriole | นกขมิ้นหัวดำเล็ก nók kʰa-mîn hŭa-dam lék 'small black-headed turmeric-bird' |
Burung Kunyit Leher Hitam 'black-necked turmeric-bird' (turmeric-bird=iora/oriole) (26) Burung Kunyit Bercoreng 'streaked turmeric-bird' (turmeric-bird=iora/oriole) (27) Burung Dendang Senja 'twilight crow (bird)' (24) |
Burung Kepudang Hutan 'forest oriole (bird)' |
黑喉黄鹂 (黑喉黃鸝) 'black-throated oriole' |
ムナフコウライウグイス (胸斑高麗鴬) muna-fu kōrai uguisu 'stripe-breasted Korean warbler' |
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Oriolus trailli![]() |
Maroon oriole | นกขมิ้นแดง nók kʰa-mîn daeeŋ 'red turmeric-bird' |
Chim Tử anh 'purple oriole (bird)' (12, 34) |
朱鹂 (朱鸝) 'vermilion oriole' Taiwan: (朱鹂) 朱鸝 'vermilion oriole' |
ヒゴロモ (緋衣) hi-goromo 'scarlet robe' |
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Oriolus mellianus![]() |
Silver Oriole Stresemann's Maroon Oriole Mell's maroon oriole |
นกขมิ้นขาว nók kʰa-mîn kʰăaw 'white turmeric-bird' |
鹊鹂 (鵲鸝) 'magpie oriole' (2, 4) 鹊色鹂 (鵲色鸝) 'magpie-coloured oriole' (1, 3, 5) |
ギンイロヒゴロモ (銀色緋衣) gin-iro hi-goromo 'silver scarlet-robe' |
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Oriolus xanthornus![]() |
Black-hooded oriole Asian black-headed oriole Black-headed oriole |
นกขมิ้นหัวดำใหญ่ nók kʰa-mîn hŭa-dam yày 'large black-headed turmeric-bird' |
Chim Vàng anh đầu đen 'black-headed yellow oriole (bird)' (12, 34) |
Burung Kunyit Topeng Hitam 'black-masked turmeric-bird' (turmeric-bird=iora/oriole) (26) Burung Kunyit Belukar 'thicket turmeric-bird' (turmeric-bird=iora/oriole) (dictionary) Burung Dendang Belukar 'thicket crow (bird)' (24) |
Burung Kepudang Kerudung-hitam 'black-veiled oriole (bird)' |
黑头黄鹂 (黑頭黃鸝) 'black-headed yellow oriole' |
ズグロコウラウグイス (頭黒高麗鴬) zu-guro kōrai uguisu 'black-headed Korean warbler' |
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Oriolus chinensis![]() ![]() |
Black-naped oriole | นกขมิ้นท้ายทอยดำ nók kʰa-mîn tʰáay-tʰoaay-dam 'black-naped turmeric-bird' |
Chim Vàng anh
Trung Quốc 'Chinese yellow oriole (bird)' (12, 13, 34) |
Burung Kunyit Besar 'large turmeric-bird' (turmeric-bird=iora/oriole) (26, 27) Burung Dendang Selayang 'Selayang dendang-bird ' (Selayang = place name near Batu Caves in Selangor) (24) |
Burung Kepudang Kuduk-hitam 'black-naped oriole (bird)' |
黑枕黄鹂 (黑枕黃鸝) 'black-naped yellow oriole' Taiwan: (黄鹂) 黃鸝 'yellow-oriole' |
コウライウグイス (高麗鴬) kōrai uguisu 'Korean warbler' |
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Latin |
English |
Thai |
Other Th |
Malaysian |
Indonesian |
Vietnamese |
Chinese |
Japanese |
Oriolus tenuirostris | Slender-billed oriole | นกขมิ้นปากเรียว nók kʰa-mîn pàak-riaw 'slender-billed turmeric-bird' |
Chim Vàng anh lưng xám 'grey-backed yellow oriole (bird)' (34) |
细嘴黄鹂 (細嘴黃鸝) 'narrow-billed yellow oriole' |
ミナミコウライウグイス (南高麗鴬) minami kōrai uguisu 'southern Korean warbler' |
The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula: Vol. 1 - Non-passerines by Wells, David R., Academic Press, London 1999