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Just for YOU... Information and Resources on Oriole Song Birds from the Experts at... |
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All About Orchard Orioles...The Orchard oriole, Icterus spurius, is the smallest species of icterid blackbird. You may even think you see a blackbird when actually you're looking at an adult male orchard oriole. Until you see him up close or through binoculars, his deep chestnut coloring appears black. In fact, it plays a major role during its winter stays in southern Mexico, Central America, northern Colombia, and northwestern Venezuela. The orchard oriole is an essential pollinator for many tropical tree species, carrying pollen from flower to flower on its head.
Check out the FREE oriole nectar recipe formula... ready for printing. You will also find some sources for related items. Have a look at the articles in the Care of Wild Birds section. You will find tips and resources for feeding wild birds, caring for baby birds... even how to prevent wild birds from crashing into windows. By the way, did you notice the "spurius" in its species name? It refers to the original false identification of the male as a female Baltimore oriole.Though the female does have orange coloring, the male orchard oriole is a deep brick-chestnut orange. The male Orchard oriole...
The female Orchard oriole...
The immature male Orchard oriole...
The immature female Orchard oriole...
Migratory ranges of the Orchard oriole...
Summer range... Breeds and nests in orchards along streams and lakes. They will also select large trees in gardens near suburban houses. See the map to the right - orange areas... Migration range... See the map to the right - yellow areas...
Density observations... See the map to the left - the darker shades represent denser populations.
Orchard oriole nests, eggs, and hatchlings...Breeding pairs usually locate their nest in deciduous trees, near water. In some parts of their range, they may nest in small colonies. One tree may contain several nests. An Orchard oriole's nest is suspended from a branch fork far out on a horizontal branch. The breeding pair both share in creating a cup-shaped pouch woven with grass, and then lined with finer grass, feathers, wool, and plant down.
Because they migrate north in the late spring and return south as early as July, Orchard orioles usually only have a single brood. Acknowledgements: Relevant Family-Friendly Sites...
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She
has olive-green upperparts
The juvenile male has a similar bright greenish-yellow under-parts
as an adult female.
Winter range...
Winters in tropical forests, often near orchards or other sources of
nectar flowers. See the map to the right - blue areas...
The
female usually lays a clutch of 3 to 7 light blue eggs with blackish
markings. She tends the eggs during the 12 day incubation period.
The babies have tufts of pale gray down, and are quite helpless. Both parents feed the chicks from hatching
through fledging - about 11 to 14 more days. They even continue to feed the
fledglings for a few more days.
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orioles |