Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)

Celebrating Female Bird Day

May 28, 2022 In 2019, several co-workers at the National Audubon Society formed a team for the World Series of Birding that focused on identifying female birds. Called the Galbatrosses, they sought to highlight how female birds have been understudied and unfairly written off as quieter and less

Adopt a Tree to Save the Birds

April 4, 2022 Many birds depend on caterpillars often found on trees lining city sidewalks. But few insects spend their whole lives on the tree: the next stage is in the leaves and soil under the tree. In cities, that habitat is often compacted and leafless. By adopting a tree and creating a “soft

Migrations: Which Came First, North- or South-bound Migration?

October 11, 2021 Every year, hundreds of bird species migrate between North and South America. Some species likely evolved from ancestors that moved north in search of new breeding habitats: the “southern home” hypothesis. But others may have extended their winter ranges south: the “northern home”

The Baltimore Oriole

June 15, 2021 Not all blackbirds are mostly black. This Baltimore Oriole is orange! It’s named after Sir George Calvert, First Lord of Baltimore, whose coat-of-arms carried a gold and black design. In spring and summer, you may see these orioles in the Midwest and eastern US, lighting up the trees where

Are Baltimore Orioles and Bullock's Orioles Different Species?

August 8, 2019 Sometimes populations of birds split apart - a process called speciation. Where Baltimore Orioles and Bullock’s Orioles overlap in the Great Plains they produce hybrid offspring. But these hybrids don’t live very long or spread very far. Are these two birds different species?

The Female Oriole Weaves a Nest

July 18, 2019 In summer, across much of North America, a sudden flash of orange and black in the treetops usually means one thing: orioles. Baltimore Orioles (like this one) in the East, Bullock’s Orioles in the West, and Hooded Orioles in the Southwest and California. These vividly colored birds return

How the Oriole Got Its Name

June 11, 2019 The oriole’s name comes from the Latin oriolus, (or-ee-OH-lus) meaning “the golden one.” Despite their similar names, the Eurasian Golden Oriole and the Baltimore Oriole aren’t related at all. Each belongs to a family unique to its side of the Atlantic. As Europeans arrived in North

Birds and Baseball

July 19, 2018 At the crack of the bat, a Blue Jay flies toward first and glides around the base. Deep in left field, an Oriole pounces on the ball. He wings the ball toward second, where a fellow Oriole snares it on a hop - just as the swift Blue Jay slides toward the base in a cloud of red dust. Ahh

John Burroughs II

January 21, 2010 John Burroughs, one of the masters of American nature writing, wrote "The birds do indeed begin with the day. The farmer who is in the field at work while he can yet see stars catches their first matin hymns. In the longest June days the robin strikes up about half past three o'clock..."