Icterus galbula
Every spring and summer day somewhere across North America, someone does a double-take at a Baltimore Oriole. Owing its familiarity to Major League Baseball, this bird is suprisingly easily identified: the male's vivid colors strike a distinctive pattern. Both the city and the bird bear the title of Irishman George Calvert, the Baron of Baltimore, who established a colony in Maryland. Mark Catesby, one of America's first naturalists, chose to grant this bird its name because the male's plumage mirrored the colors of the Baron's Coat of Arms. 'Oriole' is derived from the Latin for 'golden bird.' |
I.D.: Male: black head, throat, back, wings, rump and central tail feathers; brilliant orange underparts, wing patches and outer tail feathers; small, white wing patches. Female: olive-brown upperparts, darkest on the head; dull orange underparts. Size: L 7-8 in. (18-20 cm). Range: rare migrant and summer visitor to the Canadian Rockies. Habitat: deciduous, riparian and mixed forests up to the montane. Nesting: typically east of the Rockies; high in a deciduous tree, suspended from a branch; hanging pouch nest is woven with fine plant fibers, hair, string and fishing line and lined with fine grass and fur; female incubates 4-6 eggs for 12-14 days. Feeding: gleans canopy vegetation and shrubs for caterpillars, beetles, wasps and other invertebrates; also eats fruit and nectar; visits feeding stations that offer hummingbird feeders and orange halves. Voice: song consists of slow, clear, purposeful whistles: peter peter here here peter. Similar Species: Bullock's Oriole: orange cheek; large, white wing patch. Black-headed Grosbeak: heavy, conical bill; darker orange plumage; broad, white wing patches. Western Tanager: yellow body plumage; lacks the black head. |
