ORIOLES

Orchard Oriole 

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Icterus spurius

The Orchard Orioles are slim songbirds, larger than warblers and vireos. They have medium-length tails, rounded heads, and a straight sharply pointed bill.

Males are black above and rich reddish-chestnut below. They have a black head and throat, with a reddish-chestnut patch at the bend of the wing.

Females are greenish-yellow with two white wing bars and no black.

Juveniles are duller than females with buffy-white wingbars. Their bill is pinkish first and becomes darker gradually.

The 1st year male resembles the female but shows black bib and face, and some chestnut feathers on the body.

Both sexes are about 5.9 - 7.1 inches in length, with a wingspan of 9.8 inches and weigh about 16 - 28 grams.

CALL: Includes a sharp “chuck” as contact call and a rapid chatter as an alarm call.

SONG: A loud, rapid series of musical whistled notes, interspersed with harsh notes, and often ending in downwards slur. The female may sing occasionally.

During the breeding season, they eat insects and spiders.

During the winter, their diet consists of fruit, nectar, insects and seeds.

Breeds in gardens, orchards, suburban areas, along streams and lakes, and in riparian areas, floodplains or marshes.

Winters in plantations, second grows, savannas, light woods, parks and gardens.

Breeds in S Canada, most parts of E United States, and S in Mexico, rather in the eastern part of North American continent.

Winters in both Mexico coasts, Central America and northern South America, as far as northern Columbia and NW Venezuela.

The Orchard Oriole migrates over southern Florida in large numbers.

The female often builds the nest in Spanish moss. The nest is made with woven long vegetal fibers and lined with hair, yarn, fine grass, feathers and other soft materials.

The female lays 3 - 7 light blue eggs with dark markings. The incubation lasts about 12 - 14 days, by the female.
She is fed by the male which also guards the nest.

SOURCE:
https://en.wikipedia.org
https://www.allaboutbirds.org
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com