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The Baltimore Oriole

© Glenda Gibbons

The Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) is also known as the Northern Oriole. There are two species of Northern Oriole; the eastern version which is our familiar Baltimore Oriole, and Bullocks Oriole, which is prevalent in the western half of North America. The Baltimore Oriole is about 7-8" long (18-20 cm). The Great Plains; a series of canyons, mountain ranges, and open land, separate the two subspecies. When the United States was in its early days, and homesteads were becoming commonplace, the two species interbred, evolving into the Baltimore Oriole that is widely distributed today amongst deciduous forests and various diversified woodlands.

The Baltimore Oriole is a migrant that spends its winter months in the neo-(American) tropics, and also in Mexico and Central America.

It is always a much anticipated treat for birdwatchers to hear the familiar song of the Baltimore Oriole. The male usually arrives first; dressed in his best feathers of bright orange and black. Female Baltimore Orioles are an olive and brown color on top with burnt orange and yellow below. There are two white bars on the wings. Orioles are strong fliers that tend to make a direct path to their destination. Their wings are pointed, while their tails tend to be rounded. Both legs and feet tend to be long. The bill is unnotched with a conical shape, and the beak tends to be sharply pointed. Their voices posess a rich, whistling quality that rings clearly through the trees and forests; unmistakeable to the experienced ear. At times, the birds will intersperse some raucous chatter in between their songs.

When the male oriole finally meets the girl of his dreams, he will bond with her permanently. After this, he becomes a seasoned "nest husband", and spends the majority of his day chasing and catching insects, and eating. The female is the resident architect, building the nest as a long, woven tube that is suspended from the branches of a tree. The tubes are made primarily of grasses. With several tubes suspended from the same branch, the sight has been compared to a clothesline with socks hung to dry, swaying in the breeze.

The female Baltimore Oriole usually lays a clutch of about 3 to 6 eggs that are bluish white in color, marked with dark scrawls. Incubation is eleven to fourteen days. Once the young are hatched, the female assumes the responsibility of feeding and caring for the young. These birds nest in colonies, and the young birds tend to fledge at the same time, usually in about nine or ten days.

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