
December 2024
Bird of the Month
Orchard Oriole
by Carolyn Preston
The smallest of the North America’s orioles, the Orchard Oriole is 5.9-7.1 inches long, a weight of .6-1.0 ounces and a wingspan of 9.8 inches. Adult males have chestnut underparts, shoulder, and rump, with the rest of the plumage black. The adult female and the juvenile have olive-green on the upper parts and yellowish on the breast and belly. All adults have pointed bills and white wing bars. One year old males are still yellow-greenish with black lores and bib.
Orchard Orioles have a brief breeding season from May to August before migrating back to Central America for the rest of the year. They nest in a variety of trees, usually attached to forked twigs or branches away from the main trunk. The female does most of the nest building. During courtship, females display themselves in three ways. The first is by bowing their head and torso toward the male. The second display involves repetitively alternating lowering and raising the head and tail. The third display is begging, a fast-paced fluttering of wings halfway extended followed by a high whistle. Orchard Orioles are monogamous within each breeding season, but they find a new mate each year.
The female has 1-2 broods a year and lays 4-6 eggs. Incubation is 12-14 days. At hatching the chicks are helpless and covered with pale gray to tan down. While in breeding season, they eat insects and spiders. When the season changes, their diet also includes ripe fruit. During the winter they eat fruit nectar, insects and seeds. They are pollinators for some tropical plant species; as it feeds, its head gets dusted with pollen, which then gets transferred from flower to flower.
Orchard Orioles are relatively easygoing toward each other and other bird species, nesting in close quarters with other Orioles, Kingbirds, Robins and Sparrows. The oldest Orchard Oriole was a male at least 11 years old when found in Maryland in 2012.

Nestlings

Female

Male

Nest

Juvenile