Orchard Oriole, Icterus spurius |
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![]() The female Orchard Oriole resembles the female Hooded Oriole, though its plumage is brighter, its bill shorter and less decurved, and it is smaller overall. In any case, Hooded Orioles are not found in Massachusetts where this photograph was taken. This bird was sharing a jelly feeder with this male Baltimore, the only other oriole species found in eastern North America. The adult male Orchard is strikingly different from the female, with an all-black head and a dark chestnut body. It's a bird I'm still waiting to photograph. |
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![]() Above and below, a first-cycle male Orchard Oriole, seen and photographed by many local birders in eucalyptus and bottlebrush near Palo Alto Baylands in December 2015. The SF Bay Area is well out of normal range for this species, so most of the ones we see here are young birds, presumably with faulty navigation systems. This bird is distinguished from a first-cycle male Hooded Oriole by its shorter and nearly straight bill, and its overall brighter plumage. | |
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