The word "oriole" originally came from a Latin term meaning "the golden one." Although the name was first applied to an unrelated group of birds in Europe, Asia and Africa, it's perfectly appropriate for the American orioles. These birds belong to the blackbird family (along with grackles, red-winged blackbirds and meadowlarks) and they have the same sharply pointed beaks typical of that family.
Eight oriole species are found regularly north of the Mexican border, and you can find at least one or two of these in almost any area of the United States during summer. Many male orioles in northern locations are more brightly patterned than females, but the sexes often look the same among those seen further south.
Female orioles build impressive nests. They weave plant fibers into a cup or a hanging pouch that's often suspended near the end of a branch, hidden by leaves, providing a cradle for the young that's safe from most predators.
Official Colors: Baltimore Oriole
As early as the 1720s, people in the eastern colonies called this species the Baltimore bird because the male's orange and black colors suggested the coat of arms of a British nobleman, Lord Baltimore, the same person for whom the city in Maryland was named. The term oriole wasn't added to the bird's name until decades later. Baltimore orioles are common in summer across most of the eastern states and southeastern Canada, with smaller numbers spending the winter in the southeastern states.
Western Cousin: Bullock's Oriole
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Sense or Nonsense? - Why some birds can taste and smell - but others can't
Does a porcelain berry taste like a blueberry to a gray catbird? Does a block of lard smell like frying bacon to a northern flicker? The short answer is no. While some avian species do have a well-adapted sense of taste or smell, they can't distinguish between flavors and odors the way humans can. They're not picking up every ingredient in the suet you put out, says José Ramírez-Garofalo, an ornithology researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the director of Freshkills Biological Station in Staten Island, New York.
Maple Mania - Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Food-Focused and Fierce - Meet Canada jays and learn why they eat almost anything they can find
Even if you haven't heard of Canada jays, you've heard of their relatives. Members of the corvid family, they belong to the same group as American crows, blackbilled magpies, and jays including blue, Steller's and scrub. "Unlike many of the other jays, a Canada jay doesn't have a crest of any kind; it just has a rounded head," says Dale Gentry, director of conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi River.In 2018, the Canada jay's name was changed from gray jay, but Dale thinks the former adjective was fitting. "Most of its body is shades of gray with some white," he says. "There are different subspecies that have different physical traits, but most of them have some lighter coloring on their foreheads, upper breasts and throats, each with a darker streak that starts at each eye and goes back."
IN GOOD COMPANY
BIRDS OF A FEATHER MAY FLOCK TOGETHER, but what about other collectives of critters-and what do you call them when they do?
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