Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbulaOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Blackbirds and Orioles (Icteridae)

Codes: Common Name: BAOR Scientific Name: ICTGAL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179083

Baltimore Oriole: The breeding male Baltimore Oriole is mostly orange with a black hood and back. Wings are black with white edged feathers and orange shoulder patches. There is a distinctive black T pattern on the orange tail.

Baltimore Oriole Variations

Fall Immature
Baltimore Oriole

Female
Baltimore Oriole

Breeding Adult
Baltimore Oriole

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Baltimore Oriole: Small oriole, mostly bright orange with black hood and back. Wings are black with orange shoulder patches and strongly white-edged feathers that appear as bars. Black base, center form T-shaped mark on orange tail. Strong swift and direct flight on rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Baltimore Oriole: Breeds from Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia south through eastern Texas, Louisiana, and Virginia. Spends winters in Florida and southern Atlantic coast. Preferred habitats include open woods and shade trees.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"hew-li"

Interesting Facts

The Baltimore Oriole received its name from the fact that the male's colors resembled those on the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore.

Their range overlaps with that of the similar Bullock's Oriole in the Midwest, and the two species are sometimes considered to be conspecific under the name Northern Oriole because they form fertile hybrids.

It is the state bird of Maryland. The Baltimore Orioles, an American League baseball team in Baltimore, Maryland, were named after this bird.

A group of orioles are collectively known as a "pitch" and a "split" of orioles.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Baltimore Oriole

● Song: "hew-li"

● Foraging & Feeding: Baltimore Oriole: Feeds primarily on caterpillars, moths, beetles, ants, bugs, scale insects, aphids, and woodborers; also eats fruits, garden peas, and flower nectar. Forages by gleaning prey insects from leaves and twigs.

● Breeding & nesting: Baltimore Oriole: Four brown- and black-blotched, pale gray white or blue eggs are laid in a nest woven from long plant fibers, vine bark, hair, and sometimes yarn; lined with hair, wool, and fine grass. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Baltimore Oriole: Bullock's Oriole lacks black head. Female Baltimore Oriole has less gray on upperparts and more orange on breast than female Bullock’s.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Baltimore Oriole: Breeds from Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia south through eastern Texas, Louisiana, and Virginia. Spends winters in Florida and southern Atlantic coast. Preferred habitats include open woods and shade trees.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^Population

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1.2 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Shoulder

The short feathers overlying the median secondary coverts on the top of the wing. They are located near the back and can be seen as the “first row” of feathers on the birds wing. They are also called marginal coverts and lesser secondary coverts.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Oriole Variations

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Range and Habitat

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

Interesting Facts

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Related Birds

Baltimore Oriole

Flight Pattern