Its scientific name Icterus galbula does not sound like it would be a good idea for a baseball team. “Baltimore Orioles” has a better ring to it as far as the fans from Maryland would probably agree. The uniforms the baseball team wears (along with many, many Little Leagues) have the recognizable orange and black that birders in Carver County also love to see. Their sighting is one of the true signs of Spring.
In the first week of May, it’s time for bright orange nectar feeders to be put up outside, and for jars of grape jelly to come home from the market, and maybe a few oranges will be cut up and poked onto spikes. Fresh red fruits and berries may also be attractive to orioles because they are fruit-eaters while in Central America and they are hungry from their long journey north. Along with hummingbirds, orioles feed from nectar-bearing plants and trees using brush-like tongues. Insects provide them with needed protein.
Orioles are smaller than a robin and about as big as red-wing blackbirds – about 9 inches long with a 12 inch wingspan. Orioles and blackbirds are parts of the same bird family. The adult male has a distinctly orange belly and rump, black back with a pointed black beak and white wing bars. The female has a more muted orange-brown chest and belly, with a brown face. The immature birds look more like the female, with males taking about 15 months to gain their famous orange color.
Birds with similar colors include male orchard orioles, which are a darker rusty-chestnut, and male American redstarts, which are small, active warblers but colored orange and black.
In his bird guidebook, David Sibley indicates that Baltimore orioles are “common in open deciduous woodlands or among scattered tall trees; suburban neighborhoods with large shade trees provide ideal habitat.”
Parks and areas like the Rapids Lake National Wildlife Refuge are havens for orioles. These areas may also be locations for their hanging nests which are woven from fibers and grasses. The nests are shaped like light bulbs and take the female about two weeks to construct. Three or more eggs will be incubated for about two weeks, then it takes another two weeks before the young fledge.
Prior to nesting, males will sing melodies loudly from high perches, usually in the morning and frustratingly difficult for us to see with our feet on the ground. Songs are used for attracting mates and claiming territory. Orioles sing less after nesting — perhaps we have that in common with them. Once pairs are formed, they stay bonded for the season. Males will feed their mate while she stays in the nest, but she leaves at times to feed herself. Insects and larvae are the main source of food, but fruits later in the summer also provide sustenance.
By the end of August, all the family work is finished and orioles will be packing up their Minnesota souvenirs and fattening up for migration south. While here, Baltimore orioles are stars of Carver County’s birding environment. Each experience seems to bring smiles in response to their singing, colors and willingness to come to our feeders. We’ll miss them until next year.
For more information:
The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Allen Sibley
Birds of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Janssen, Tessen, and Kennedy
Breeding Birds of Minnesota, Pfannmuller, Niemi and Green
The Audubon Society’s Encyclopedia of North American Birds, John K. Terres
Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Online: All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Online: Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas
