The Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula, is a small icterid blackbird.
Adults have a pointed bill and white bars on the wings. The adult male is orange on the underparts, shoulder patch and rump with black everywhere else. The adult female is yellow-brown on the upper parts with darker wings, dull orange on the breast and belly.
Their breeding habitat is the edges of deciduous and mixed woods across eastern North America. The range of this bird overlaps with that of the similar Bullock's Oriole in the midwest, and the two forms were once considered to be conspecific as the Northern Oriole because they form fertile hybrids. The nest is a tightly woven pouch located on the end of a branch.
These birds migrate in flocks to southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Some birds may remain near feeders in winter.
The Baltimore Oriole is a rare vagrant to western Europe, and there are a couple of British records of birds wintering near garden feeders, including one in Oxford in December 2003. Perhaps the most remarkable record was one on 7th-8th October 2001, which was very appropriately found in Baltimore, Co. Cork, Ireland, the first record of the species in Ireland.
These birds forage in trees and shrubs, also making short flights to catch insects. They mainly eat insects, berries and nectar, and are often seen sipping at hummingbird feeders. Oriole feeders are essentially the same as hummingbird feeders, but designed for orioles, including being orange instead of red, and having larger perches. The birds are also fond of halved oranges.
This bird got its name because the male's colours resemble those on the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore. The baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles, were named after this bird. This is the state bird of Maryland.
The male sings a loud fluty whistle.
Last updated: 05-19-2005 00:30:00
