Birds of Central Oklahoma

All birds Troupials and Allies

Baltimore Oriole, adult male
Adult male Photo by Dmitry Mozzherin. CC BY, via iNaturalist.

Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula

Passes through in April to June and again in August to September.

Recorded by Richard E. Webster. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, via xeno-canto, trimmed and volume evened out.

Look for

  1. Grown-up males are bright orange and black, with a bold pattern.
  2. Females are brown on the back, with an orange wash on the chest and belly.
  3. Females have white stripes on the wings. Some have black on the head.

A little about it

Baltimore orioles mostly pass through here. The most come in May, on their way north. Fewer pass by again on the way south, and September is the best month then.

They start south early, and many leave in July and August. They travel in flocks and spend the winter mostly in the tropics.

In summer, they eat mostly bugs, even the hairy caterpillars that many birds skip. They also eat berries and sip nectar from flowers. At feeders, they'll drink sugar water and eat bits of fruit.

The nest is a bag that hangs from the end of a thin, droopy branch, usually 20 to 30 feet up. The female weaves it tight out of plant fibers and grass. She may even use string or yarn.

Fun fact

This bird wears the same colors as the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore, who lived in the 1600s. A coat of arms is a kind of family badge.

When it's here

Taller bars mean more sightings. Most often seen in May.

More birds passing through in spring and fall

How big

SparrowRobinCrowGoose

7 to 8½ inches. Bigger than a sparrow, but smaller than a robin.

Where to look

Big shade trees in town and open woods, especially groves along rivers. They often pick elm trees.

  • Yards and parks
  • In the woods
  • At feeders

People have spotted it at Martin Park Nature Center, Lake Overholser, Lake Hefner.

Could it be something else?

  • Orchard Oriole

    Smaller. The grown-up male is black and dark reddish brown. The female is yellow-green, without the orange wash of a female Baltimore Oriole.

  • Summer Tanager

    The female is rich yellow, with plain wings and a big, pale bill. A female Baltimore Oriole has white stripes on her wings.

More photos

Baltimore Oriole, female
Female Photo by Bettina Arrigoni. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Where these facts come from