Baltimore Oriole | Audubon Field Guide

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Open Search Bird GuideBlackbirds and OriolesBaltimore Oriole Listen 11 Baltimore Oriole Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula At a Glance Range & Identification Behavior Conservation Explore More Back to Top

At a Glance

One of the most brilliantly colored songbirds in the east, flaming orange and black, sharing the heraldic colors of the coat of arms of 17th-century Lord Baltimore. Widespread east of the Great Plains, Baltimore Orioles are often very common in open woods and groves in summer. Their bag-shaped hanging nests, artfully woven of plant fibers, are familiar sights in the shade trees in towns. This bird was formerly considered to belong to the same species as the western Bullock's Oriole, under the combined name of Northern Oriole. All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Category Blackbirds and Orioles, Perching Birds IUCN Status Least Concern Habitat Fields, Meadows, and Grasslands, Forests and Woodlands, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets, Urban and Suburban Habitats Region Eastern Canada, Florida, Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, New England, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southeast, Texas, Western Canada Behavior Direct Flight Population 12.000.000

Range & Identification

Migration & Range Maps

Migrates in flocks. Fall migration begins early, with many birds departing in July and August.

Description

7-8 1/2" (18-22 cm). Boldly marked black and orange adult male is unlike any other eastern bird. Female brown above, tinged orange below, with white wing-bars, variable black on head. On Great Plains, often interbreeds with Bullock's Oriole, producing hybrids with intermediate pattern. Size About the size of a Robin, About the size of a Sparrow Color Black, Green, Orange, White, Yellow Wing Shape Rounded Tail Shape Rounded, Square-tipped

Songs and Calls

Clear and flute-like whistled single or double notes in short, distinct phrases with much individual variation. Call Pattern Falling, Undulating Call Type Buzz, Chatter, Flute, Whistle

Habitat

Open woods, riverside groves, elms, shade trees. Breeds in deciduous or mixed woodland, generally in open woods or edges rather than interior of dense forest. May be common in trees in towns. Often favors elms. Winters mostly in the tropics around forest edge and semi-open country. Sign up for Audubon's newsletter to learn more about birds like the Baltimore Oriole Email Zip Phone (optional) By submitting my mobile number I agree to receive periodic text messages from Audubon at 42248 about how I can help birds. Reply STOP to any message to unsubscribe. Message & data rates may apply. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Behavior

Eggs

4-5, sometimes 3-6. Bluish white to pale gray, with brown and black markings concentrated at larger end. Incubation is by female, about 12-14 days.

Young

Both parents feed the nestlings. Young leave nest about 12-14 days after hatching.

Feeding Behavior

Forages by searching for insects among foliage of trees and shrubs. Sometimes flies out to catch insects in midair. Visits flowers for nectar, and will come to sugar-water feeders; also will come to pieces of fruit put out at feeders.

Diet

Insects, berries, nectar. In summer feeds mostly on insects, especially caterpillars, including hairy types avoided by many birds; also eats beetles, grasshoppers, wasps, bugs, and others, plus spiders and snails. Eats many berries and sometimes cultivated fruit. Feeds on nectar and will take sugar-water.

Nesting

Male sings to defend nesting territory. In courtship, male faces female and stretches upright, then bows deeply with tail spread and wings partly open. Nest site is in tall deciduous tree, placed near end of slender drooping branch, usually 20-30' above the ground but can be 6-60' up or higher. Nest (built by female, sometimes with help from male) is a hanging pouch, with its rim firmly attached to a branch. Nest is tightly woven of plant fibers, strips of bark, grapevines, grass, yarn, string, Spanish moss, lined with fine grass, plant down, hair.

Conservation

Conservation Status

Still widespread and common, but surveys show declines in recent decades. In the mid 20th century, Dutch elm disease killed many of the American elms that had been favorite nesting trees for this species in the past. Change in Abundance Over Time Drawing on more than a century of community science from the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), this chart shows how this species’ relative abundance has shifted in recent decades. Explore more and get involved in the CBC.

Climate Map

Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect the range of the Baltimore Oriole. Learn even more in Audubon’s Survival By Degrees project.

Climate Threats Facing the Baltimore Oriole

Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.

Explore More

Murals, Art, and Culture

Artists throughout history and across the U.S. have captured this bird in murals, books, and museum hangings. See what they’ve done: ¡Atención!

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