General

Baltimore Oriole: Small oriole, mostly bright orange with black hood and back. Wings are black with orange shoulder patches and strongly white-edged feathers that appear as bars. Black base and center form a T-shaped mark on orange tail. Female is similar but much duller, lacks black hood and back, orange shoulder patch, darker orange-brown head and back, pale chin, and gray wash on sides. Juvenile is paler overall and has gray belly; first year male has black throat patch.

Range and Habitat

Baltimore Oriole: Breeds from Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia south through eastern Texas, Louisiana, and Virginia. Spends winters in Florida and southern Atlantic coast. Preferred habitats include open woods and shade trees.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"hew-li"

Interesting Facts

 The Baltimore Oriole received its name from the fact that the male's colors resembled those on the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore.

 Their range overlaps with that of the similar Bullock's Oriole in the Midwest, and the two species are sometimes considered to be conspecific under the name Northern Oriole because they form fertile hybrids.

 It is the state bird of Maryland. The Baltimore Orioles, an American League baseball team in Baltimore, Maryland, were named after this bird.

 A group of orioles are collectively known as a "pitch" and a "split" of orioles.

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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