Baltimore oriole is a songbird that lives in North and South America. It is also called hangbird, firebird, or golden robin. The Baltimore oriole is known for its beautiful feathers and its musical whistle. For many years, this bird was considered a separate species of oriole. Today, it is regarded as a subspecies of the northern oriole and bird specialists refer to it by the name northern oriole. However, the bird is still commonly known as the Baltimore oriole.
The bird was named for George Calvert or Cecilius Calvert, the first two Lords Baltimore. The Calverts were important in the development of the colony of Maryland, one of the first places the bird was spotted by European settlers. The bird’s orange and black colors resembled those on the Calvert coat of arms. In spring and summer, the bird lives in the central and eastern United States and southern Canada. In the fall, the Baltimore oriole flies south, and spends the winter from southern Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela.
The male is 7 to 8 inches (18 to 20 centimeters) long. His head and back are a glossy black. His wings have white bars, and his breast is bright orange. The female is smaller and is not so colorful. Her back is brown and her breast either yellow or dull orange.
Loading the player...Baltimore oriole
The Baltimore oriole’s nest is a hanging pouch. It is 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) deep and hangs from the tip of a tree limb. It is usually made of grapevine, strips of bark, vegetable fibers, string, and hair.
Baltimore orioles lay from four to six eggs at a time. The eggs are about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) long and are dull white with dark irregular lines down the sides. Baltimore orioles eat insect pests, such as caterpillars. The Baltimore oriole is the state bird of Maryland.
See also Oriole.
