Western tanager or Altamira oriole in Nashville? (1 Viewer)

This is my first post, so for starters, thanks for having such a great community resource here. I'm looking for help identifying a bird. I've lived in Kentucky and Tennessee for 35 years but I have never seen it before.

Working in my treehouse in southern Nashville yesterday, I saw a beautiful bird perched upright on a limb near ground-level. It was what I would call medium-sized, maybe 6" from beak to tail, though I saw from 50 feet away. It had black wings (I only saw them folded, not in flight). Its breast and underbelly were a rich bright yellow fading up to a head of sunset orange. I didn't hear its call.

Looking through my Audubon field guide to North American birds, only the Western tanager or maybe the Altamira Oriole resemble this bird. However, their ranges are nowhere near Nashville. Any ideas? Thanks.

Hi there and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum :t:

What about a Baltimore Oriole? Baltimore & Orchard are the main Orioles for your area. It would be great if you could get a photo of it.

I'm going to move your thread to the Bird ID Q & A section of the Forum. I've also subscribed you to it so when someone posts you will get an email with a link to follow:

I guess Baltimore Oriole is a possibility.

I wonder if you saw a Prothonotary Warbler. They aren't quite 6 inches, but not far off. The male has solid dark wings, and bright yellow underparts with a slightly darker orangish head.

I'm quite sure it wasn't an Altamira Oriole. They are not known to stray from their range. Western Tanager is unlikely but not out of the question.

Yeah, Prothonotary Warbler does sound good.

Thanks, I'll keep looking and try to snap a picture.

Young male Scarlet Tanagers can be yellow/orange.
Andy