Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula
Blackbird family (Icteridae)

7” long. Male (shown in image) – black head, back, wings, and tail; orange on remaining upperparts and underparts; single white wing bar. Female (not shown) – greenish-orange on rump; orange-yellow below; head, back, and throat mottled with black.

Habitat:
Streamside forests, forest edges.

Nesting:
Hanging nest of plant fibers suspended by its rim to the tip of a long drooping branch, 25 to 30 feet above the ground. Eggs are pale bluish white with dark marks. Clutch size – 4 to 5 eggs.

Voice:

Song is 4 to 8 medium-pitched whistled notes; often sounds like an unfinished song.  Call is a rapid chatter “ch ch ch ch ch”.

Name Origin:

Icterus, ikteros, Greek for “jaundice” or “yellowish”; galbula, Latin for “a small yellow bird”. “Oriole” from aureolus, Latin for “golden”.

In the Nature Park:
Neotropical migrant, arrives in May. Common in riparian forests along the Creekside Trail.

Photos: