Bird of the Week: The Baltimore Oriole
Summer is here... And so are the Baltimore Orioles (Icterus galbula)... Stunning creatures, really.
Some interesting facts about the Baltimore Oriole...
So break out that grape jelly, and cut up those oranges... Summer is here, and so are the orioles!
See you by those brilliant feeders,
CapeCodAlan
And once again, thanks to the following:
Some interesting facts about the Baltimore Oriole...
- Ours just showed up a few weeks ago - early to mid May.
- They like grape jelly, but don't have a taste for jam. (At least ours don't!)
- Orioles are gregarious fellows, especially around the feeders.
- They have umpteen cousins (the Altamira Oriole, Hooded Oriole, Audubon's Oriole, and Scott's Oriole) who live in Mexico and Central America. To boot, they're related to the Bullock's Oriole, the Orchard Oriole, and the Spot-breasted Oriole.
- These birds build (or weave) funky, hanging-basket nests.
So break out that grape jelly, and cut up those oranges... Summer is here, and so are the orioles!
See you by those brilliant feeders,
CapeCodAlan
And once again, thanks to the following:
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Wikipedia
- Audubon Society
- U.S. Geological Survey
- MSN Encarta
- The National Audubon Society’s “The Sibley Guide to Birds”
- ”Birds Of North America” published by Golden
- ”Birds of New England” from Smithsonian Handbooks
- Chapman's "Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America"
- Peterson's "A Field Guide to the Birds"
- "Birdwatching" from publisher "Discovery Travel Adventures"
Comments
They are lovely. Here in southern California I get Hooded Orioles. They are very skittish, a hummingbird will chase them away from their feeder. They won't eat oranges or jelly, either. But this year I have 2 pairs, and they already have fledged their young. It's fun to watch the parents teaching the young to eat from the feeder - although the kids have to wait until dad has finished!
Posted by: Diane | June 5, 2007 7:50 PM