Orioles We Have Known

 

The male Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)
that appeared in our yard.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

In January 2025 the orange, black and white wonder that is the Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) showed up in our yard.  Diane and I have been trying to get orioles to visit our yard for years.  Baltimore Orioles regularly winter in the Southeast, but we have not been lucky enough to attract one, until now.  

An oriole feeder with grape jelly and orange slices.
Rowan County, North Carolina.

Our friends gave us suggestions, put out orange slices, give them grape jelly, hang a sugar water feeder.  Of course, oriole feeders must be orange.  It seems orioles are attracted to that color, whether it is an orange fruit or an orange-colored feeder.  We did all these things and despite the temptations, the orioles stayed away.  

An oriole feeder with nectar.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

There are 32 species of orioles in the New World.  They have a mainly tropical distribution, but 8 species are regularly found in North America.  As you move toward the equator the oriole diversity goes up.  New World Orioles are in the Blackbird family, the Icteridae and share a common color pattern of black, white and orange or yellow. Orioles eat insects including tent caterpillars, nectar and the darkest and ripest fruit. Most oriole species build woven, gourd-shaped hanging nests. Old World Orioles have a similar color pattern to the New World Orioles but are classified in a completely different family, the Oriolidae.  

Male Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius).
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

The Eastern United States has two native oriole species, the Baltimore Oriole and the Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius).  Both these orioles nest in eastern North America and winter in the Southeastern United States or the tropics.  Orchard Orioles are smaller than Baltimore Orioles and the males are dark chestnut and black with white wing bars while the females are yellow.  We see Orchard Orioles in spring and summer in our area.  They prefer open woodlands and brushy edges of fields.   

Male Baltimore Oriole.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Male Baltimore Orioles have black heads, backs and wings with bright orange below, an orange shoulder patch and bright orange spots on the black tail.  Female Baltimore Orioles and olive above and yellow below with white on the wings.  The name of this bright bird comes from its color pattern that matches  the orange and black on the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore. The American League baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles, also sport the same color scheme as the bird. 

Immature male Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii).
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

The American west has even more species of orioles.  The western counterpart of the Baltimore Oriole is the Bullock’s Oriole (Icterus bullockii).  The male Bullock’s Oriole looks similar to male Baltimore Oriole.   Bullock’s have a large white patch on the wings and more orange on the head than the Baltimore.  Female and immature Bullock's Orioles are yellow rather than orange and lack the black of the adult males.  Bullock’s Oriole and Baltimore Oriole were once considered to be the same species and were named the Northern Oriole. This lumping of the two species came about because they can produce fertile hybrids where their ranges overlap on the plains of North America.  Further analysis of the genetics and distribution of the hybrids indicates Bullock’s and Baltimore Orioles are different species.  We have seen Bullock’s Orioles throughout the American west in spring and summer on their breeding grounds and in Mexico in winter.  Sometimes a Bullock’s Oriole will take a wrong turn on migration and end up in the eastern United States.  One of these wrong-way Bullock’s spent a winter visiting a feeder in a Charlotte, North Carolina suburb.  This bird attracted many people, including us, anxious to see this rarity. 

Male Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus).
Crooked Tree Wildlife Refuge, Belize.

Male Hooded Oriole.
Portal, Arizona.

The Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) is widely distributed in the west, ranging from California to Texas, south through Mexico and into Belize. Many of the Hooded Orioles in the United States migrate to Mexico for the winter.  Male Hooded Orioles are orange or bright yellow with a black back, tail, throat and black wings with white wing bars.  Females are yellow with dark gray wings.   We have encountered Hooded Orioles in Arizona, Texas, Mexico and Belize.  The Male Hooded Orioles we saw in Texas and Belize were brilliant orange while those in southeast Arizona were bright yellow.  

 

Audubon's Oriole (Icterus graduacauda).
McMullen County, Texas. 

South Texas is THE place in the United States to see Audubon’s Orioles (Icterus graduacauda) and Altamira Orioles (Icterus gularis).  The northern end of their ranges are in Texas and they go south to Mexico, and for the Altamira into Central America.  Both male and female Audubon’s Orioles are yellow with a black head, wings and tail.  They are a shy species and skulk in thick brush. We got brief glimpses of Audubon’s Orioles in several locations in south Texas.   

Altamira Oriole (Icterus gularis).
Salineno Wildlife Preserve, Texas.

Altamira Oriole with nest.
Crooked Tree Wildlife Preserve, Belize.

Altamira Orioles are the largest of the New World Orioles.  They have dazzling orange heads and bodies with black tails, backs, throats and a black mask.  The wings are black with white wing bars and orange epaulets.  Males and females have a similar color pattern.  We saw Altamira Orioles in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and in Belize we saw them building a magnificent hanging nest.  

Male Black-cowled Oriole (Icterus prosthemelas).
La Milpa Field Station, Belize.

The Black-cowled Oriole (Icterus prosthemelas) is a tropical species found from southern Mexico to Panama.  This handsome bird is much blacker than most of the other orioles. The males have black heads and breasts, black wings and black tails. Their rumps, bellies and shoulders are bright yellow.   In the northern part of the range females have more yellow on the crown of the head and neck but in the south males and females look similar.  We found Black-cowled Orioles in Belize and Costa Rica.  

Yellow-tailed Oriole (Icterus mesomelas) carrying nest material.
Ammo Dump Ponds, Panama Canal, Panama. 

Another beautiful tropical species is the Yellow-tailed Oriole (Icterus mesomelas).  This stunning black and yellow oriole is widespread from southern Mexico through Central America and into northern South America.  It has a yellow head, breast and belly with a black throat and mask, black wings with yellow wing bars and a tail that is black on the top and yellow beneath.  We have seen Yellow-tailed Orioles in Belize and Panama. 

Male Baltimore Oriole.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

We have gotten to know all 8 of the regularly occurring orioles in the United States and 15 of the 32 New World Orioles. This winter a gorgeous adult male Baltimore Oriole appeared in our yard, and he has stayed with us for over a month.  What was the secret to finally getting an oriole to visit?  Was it the orange oriole feeders, the grape jelly, the orange slices?  None of these. We have never seen this bird on any of the standard oriole attractors.  It has been a cold winter, and we think the harsh weather sent this bird to our yard.  Our Baltimore Oriole eats suet and sunflower seeds.  He has studiously avoided the feeders we were sure would bring him to the yard.  As far as winter orioles go, I think you just need to be lucky.