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More About Baltimore Orioles

by Susan Nelson Hopkins

Baltimore orioles were highly prized by the early American settlers. In fact... in 1698, they were among the "Beasts of Curiosity" sent from Maryland to the British royal gardens.

The story behind how the Baltimore Oriole bird was named...

They named these birds after George Calvert, 1st Baron of Baltimore, because the black and golden-orange plumage of the male Baltimore oriole were nearly identical to the colors in his Calvert family shield.

These flashy little songbirds even inspired a major league baseball team to adopt the name "Baltimore Orioles" in 1894.

Although its main diet is insects, it will quite willingly visit nectar flowers and oriole feeders. If you are interested, we have a 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.

The male Baltimore oriole...

• His head, throat, mantle, wings, and tail are black
• His under-parts, shoulders, tip and edges of tail, and rump are orange to yellow-orange.. his chest may be a deeper orange
• He also has a single white wing-bar, and his orange shoulder makes a second wing-bar.
• His bill is very pointed and silvery

The female Baltimore oriole...

• Her appearance is variable - similar to the male, but head is more dark-brownish-olive than black, and her body is a paler orange
• Her face, throat, and under-parts are usually orange
• Her tail is brownish-olive - without black
• The white in her shoulder gives her two white wing-bars.

The immature male Baltimore oriole...

• It is similar to an adult female, but paler
• It does not have black on its head or back
• It may have a gray belly
• Young males start looking like adult males during their second fall

The immature female Baltimore oriole...

• It is similar to an adult female, but paler
• It does not have black on its head or back
• It may have a gray belly

Migratory ranges of the Baltimore oriole...

Winter range... Winters in humid forests and second growth.  See the map to the right - blue areas...

Summer range... Breeds along woodland edges and open areas with scattered trees, especially deciduous trees. Also in parks and wooded urban areas. See the map to the right - orange areas...

Migration range... See the map to the right - yellow areas...

Density observations... See the map below - the darker shades represent denser populations.

Baltimore oriole eggs and hatchlings...

They usually lay a clutch of 4 to 5 eggs that are pale grayish-white, and streaked and blotched with dark lines.

The female tends the eggs during the 11 to 14 day incubation period. The babies have sparse down, and are quite helpless.

Both parents feed the chicks from hatching through fledging - about 11 to 14 more days. They continue to feed the fledglings for a few more days.

Acknowledgements:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/BNA/
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/

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