The wings, tail, shoulders, throat, and face are all black; by contrast, the back and underparts are an extremely bright yellow.

One population, designated as the subspecies I. c. giraudii, is endemic to southern Central America, including Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia.

The species is found in Belize, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela.

Yellow-backed orioles are able to tolerate a wide variety of habitats, but prefer open, mixed pine-oak woodlands and dry scrub forest.

Yellow-backed orioles are monogamous; like many species of the genus Icterus, they breed once a year with a single mate.

This species occasionally joins mixed-species flocks that include band-backed wrens, jays, and other medium-sized orioles.

[3][4] This species has a clear, whistling voice, with a song resembling that of Spot-breasted orioles (Icterus pectoralis).

The song generally consists of a series of clear notes, but it acquires a muddy, warbled quality among populations native to southern Central America.