Baltimore Oriole

Icterus spurius

This colorful species was known as the Northern Oriole during the Atlas Project. In 1995, however, the name was officially changed to Baltimore Oriole (AOU 1995). The beautiful, bright orange and black male is usually seen as a flash of colors in the top of a shade tree. The swinging, sac-like nests hang from small drooping outer branches of willows, elms, maples and sycamores, and are most easily detected in winter.

Code Frequency

Baltimore Orioles are brightly colored, beautiful songsters that frequently nest in trees in yards. Atlasers easily recorded their presence during the breeding season. Their characteristic swinging nests made them easy to confirm especially during winter. Atlasers recorded Baltimore Orioles in 66 percent of all blocks. The breeding evidence most frequently recorded by Atlasers was nest building, nest visitation and food deliveries to young and fledglings.

Distribution

Reported in only 52 and 33 percent of the blocks, respectively. The forested Ozark Natural Division appears to have a very small breeding population. Most breeding records of the Ozark Natural Division are in towns and open forests near the adjacent section to the east and west. The sparseness of population in upland forests in the Ozark Natural Division is mirrored in upland forests of Arkansas (James and Neal, 1986). The low number of records in the Mississippi Lowlands Natural Division presumably reflects the extensive treeless condition of this agricultural region. In the Mississippi Lowlands, potential nesting areas with large shade trees are restricted to urban areas.

Average Number of Birds / 100 stops

Abundance

Phenology

Most summer residents arrive by mid-April and depart by late August with migrants present in September and early October (Robbins and Easterla 1992). Records of fledglings extended through August 5. Some late-season Atlasers located 49 used nests between February 2 and November 28.

Notes

There was one report of a fledgling Brown-headed Cowbird being fed by a Baltimore Oriole in the eastern Glaciated Plains Natural Section. This species was considered an uncommon host species by Ehrlich et al. (1988). In large forests of the Ozarks, Atlasers noted Baltimore Orioles which likely were in migrating groups and not breeders. Widmann (1907) also reported such individuals on dry wooded ridges in May in the Ozarks.

Breeding Evidence

Reported in 797 (66.0%) of 1,207 blocks

Home|Lists of Illustrations and Tables|Preface|Acknowledgments|Introduction|The Natural Divisions of Missouri|Guide to Species Accounts|Index of Bird Accounts|Appendix A.|Appendix B.|Appendix C.|Appendix D.|Appendix E.|Literature Cited