Acadia National Park

Description  ADULT MALE Has a black hood, chest, and back, and brick-red underparts and "shoulders." Wings are black, with a white wing bar and white edges to flight feathers. Rump is brick-red and tail is black. ADULT AND IMMATURE FEMALE Have mostly yellow plumage, grading to olive-yellow on back. Dark wings have two white wing bars and white edges to flight feathers. Rump is yellow and tail is grayish. IMMATURE MALE Has a black face and throat, but otherwise mostly yellow plumage, grading to olive-yellow on back. Dark wings have two white wing bars and white edges to flight feathers.

Dimensions  Length: 7" (18 cm)

Habitat  Locally common summer visitor (mainly May-Aug) to open wooded habitats, including orchards, parks, and waterside woodlands. Winters mainly in Central America.

Observation Tips  Fairly easy to see in suitable habitats.

Range  Mid-Atlantic, New England, California, Florida, Plains, Great Lakes, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Texas, Southeast, Western Canada, Eastern Canada

Voice  Song is a jaunty series of fluty whistles; call is a harsh chatter.

Discussion  Eastern North America's smallest oriole; has a slender, pointed and slightly downcurved bill. Sexes are dissimilar.

Migration Info  Orchard Orioles arrive on the U.S. Gulf coast in late March or early April, with the largest concentrations occurring from eastern Louisiana to northwestern Florida. Most of the migratory birds of the eastern United States show a more or less clockwise annual pattern, moving north in spring on a westerly track and south in the fall along the Appalachians or the Atlantic coast. Orchard Orioles, on the other hand, take a more easterly route in spring than in fall. This may be partly related to the fact that the Orchard Oriole's "fall" migration takes place well before the onset of autumn weather patterns; these birds move south during midsummer and can be found in large flocks in Mexico by mid-July.