Where’s Wildlife · Bird Field Guide
Orchard Oriole
Icterus spurius
Pronounced (approx.): IK-ter-us SPYOOR-ee-us
A small oriole of open woods and scattered trees, with strikingly different male and female plumages.
Three Identification Clues
Adult males have a black head and back with rich chestnut underparts.
Females are greenish above and yellowish below, with two narrow pale wingbars.
Young males can look yellow-green like females but have a black throat patch.
Field Photographs
Showing all 6 photographs.
Beyond the first impression
Plumage & Identification
Three appearances worth learning
Mature males have black heads and backs with dark chestnut underparts. Females are greenish above and yellowish below, with pale wingbars. Immature males resemble females but develop black around the bill and throat; later, patches of adult chestnut and black can make them look unevenly colored. [1]
Compare structure as well as color
Look for the slim body, straight pointed bill, and moderate-length tail. Compare several views in our Baltimore Oriole guide. A yellow bird is not automatically a female Baltimore Oriole, and a shadowed chestnut male can appear surprisingly dark. [1]
Life history
How This Bird Lives
Where to look
Check scattered trees beside rivers, pastures, and park clearings. Dense, continuous forest is not the only place to find an oriole. An isolated shade tree in otherwise open country may offer both feeding branches and a nesting site. [2]
Food & foraging
Birds pick insects and spiders from leaves, then increase their fruit intake before migrating. Flowers supply nectar as well. The same bird may visit a leafy branch, a berry cluster, and a flower for different parts of its diet. [2]
A hanging nest that changes color
The female does most of the weaving, using long green grass blades that turn yellow as they dry. A forked twig supports the flexible nest away from the trunk. Its loose weave is different from a solid mud or stick structure. [2]
A clutch contains 4–6 eggs, with incubation lasting about 12–14 days. Please observe nests from a distance rather than moving branches for a better photograph. [2]
Did you know?
A Closer Look at Orchard Orioles
A surprisingly brief northern visit
These orioles arrive relatively late in spring and can begin heading south well before autumn. Some reach wintering areas by mid-July, so a summer sighting is not automatically evidence of a nearby nest. [3]
Sometimes a pollinator, sometimes a shortcut
Feeding through a flower's opening can dust the head with pollen. Piercing the flower near its base gives access to nectar without the same pollen transfer. The route to the food matters. [3]
Useful nesting neighbors
Orchard Orioles may nest near Eastern Kingbirds and other birds. A kingbird's vigorous defense can help discourage predators and cowbirds from the neighborhood. [3]
Sources: [1] Cornell · Identification [2] Cornell · Life history [3] Cornell · Species overview
Range & Sightings
Seasonal Range
View Range Map ↗Recorded Observations
Observation records are not a complete seasonal range map.
iNaturalist observation map ↗