Species
Orchard oriole
Icterus spurius
A small, chestnut-and-black oriole that nests in yards and orchards and leaves for the tropics by August.
Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 15 to 18 cm long
- Weight
- About 16 to 28 g
- Habitat
- Orchards, yards, parks and open woods
- Diet
- Insects, nectar and fruit
- In Georgia
- A common summer resident, April to August
- Voice
- A rich, jumbled song
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Male
- Black hood and back; deep chestnut underparts
- Female
- Yellow-green
- Told apart from
- Baltimore oriole, whose male is bright orange
- Where to look
- Shade trees in yards and orchards
Behaviour
Orchard orioles weave hanging, basket-like nests from grass. They are among the earliest migrants to leave, often heading south in July.
Why they matter
Orchard orioles eat many insects and pollinate flowers while feeding on nectar. Their early migration means they spend most of the year in the tropics.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A woven basket hanging from a branch
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 12 to 14 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 11 to 14 days
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Shade trees in yards support them.
Misconceptions
- Orioles are all orange. Orchard oriole males are chestnut.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | In Central America | In Central America | In Central America | Arriving | Nesting | Chicks | Leaving | Last birds | In Central America | In Central America | In Central America | In Central America |
Where it lives
Recorded in 75 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamabreeding
- Arkansasbreeding
- Coloradobreeding
- Connecticutbreeding
- Delawarebreeding
- District of Columbiabreeding
- Floridabreeding
- Georgiabreeding
- Illinoisbreeding
- Indianabreeding
- Iowabreeding
- Kansasbreeding
- Kentuckybreeding
- Louisianabreeding
- Mainebreeding
- Marylandbreeding
- Massachusettsbreeding
- Michiganbreeding
- Minnesotabreeding
- Mississippibreeding
- Missouribreeding
- Montanabreeding
- Nebraskabreeding
- New Hampshirebreeding
- New Jerseybreeding
- New Mexicobreeding
- New Yorkbreeding
- North Carolinabreeding
- North Dakotabreeding
- Ohiobreeding
- Oklahomabreeding
- Pennsylvaniabreeding
- Rhode Islandbreeding
- South Carolinabreeding
- South Dakotabreeding
- Tennesseebreeding
- Texasbreeding
- Vermontbreeding
- Virginiabreeding
- West Virginiabreeding
- Wisconsinbreeding
- Wyomingbreeding
Mexico
- Aguascalientesbreeding
- Baja California Surin winter
- Campechein winter
- Chiapasin winter
- Coahuilabreeding
- Colimain winter
- Durangobreeding
- Guanajuatoin winter
- Guerreroin winter
- Hidalgoin winter
- Jaliscoin winter
- Mexico Cityin winter
- Michoacanin winter
- Morelosin winter
- Nayaritin winter
- Nuevo Leonpassing through
- Oaxacain winter
- Pueblain winter
- Queretaropassing through
- Quintana Rooin winter
- San Luis Potosipassing through
- Sinaloa
- Sonorabreeding
- State of Mexicoin winter
- Tabascoin winter
- Tamaulipasbreeding
- Veracruzin winter
- Yucatanin winter
- Zacatecaspassing through
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