# Baltimore Oriole

*Icterus galbula*

These birds have a famous 'sweet tooth' and are frequently attracted to backyard feeders offering orange halves or grape jelly.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Icteridae › Icterus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Open deciduous woodlands, forest edges, orchards, and suburban parks with tall trees.
- **Diet:** Omnivorous: primarily caterpillars, beetles, and other insects, supplemented by nectar and dark-colored fruits like berries.
- **Range:** Eastern North America, Central America, Northern South America
- **Size:** 17-22 cm length; 30-40g mass
- **Lifespan:** 11-12 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss due to deforestation, pesticide use reducing food sources, and collisions with glass windows.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and shy. Observe from a distance with binoculars to enjoy their vibrant plumage. Do not disturb their hanging nests. If a fledgling is found on the ground, leave it be as parents are usually nearby; if injured, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator.

## About

The Baltimore oriole ( Icterus galbula ) is a small icterid blackbird common in eastern North America as a migratory breeding bird. It received its name from the resemblance of the male's colors to those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore. Observations of interbreeding between the Baltimore oriole and the western Bullock's oriole, Icterus bullockii , led to both being classified as a single species, called the northern oriole, from 1973 to 1995. Research by James Rising, a professor...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/84b69376-ae9b-4d23-bbff-dc3588e84fe0
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/9346
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icterus galbula
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/145445553/medium.jpg (Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.