Conspicuously Red of any Shade 



Orchard Oriole 

 (Icterus spurius) Blackbird and Oriole family 



Called also: ORCHARD STARLING ; ORCHARD HANG-NEST 



Length—'] to 7.3 inches. About one-fourtli smaller than the 

 robin. 



Male — Head, throat, upper back, tail, and part of wings black. 

 Breast, rump, shoulders, under wing and tail coverts, and 

 under parts bright reddish brown. Whitish-yellow mark- 

 ings on a few tail and wing feathers. 



Female — Head and upper parts olive, shading into brown; brighter 

 on head and near tail. Back and wings dusky brown, with 

 pale-buff shoulder-bars and edges of coverts. Throat black. 

 Under parts olive, shading into yellow. 



Range — Canada to Central America. Common in temperate lati- 

 tudes of the United States. 



Migrations — Early May. Middle of September. Common sum- 

 mer resident. 



With a more southerly range than the Baltimore oriole and 

 less conspicuous coloring, the orchard oriole is not so familiar a 

 bird in many Northern States, where, nevertheless, it is quite 

 common enough to be classed among our would-be intimates. 

 The orchard is not always as close to the house as this bird cares 

 to venture; he will pursue an insect even to the piazza vines. 



His song, says John Burroughs, is like scarlet, "strong, in- 

 tense, emphatic," but it is sweet and is more rapidly uttered than 

 that of others of the femily. It is ended for the season early 

 in July. 



This oriole, too, builds a beautiful nest, not often pendent like 

 the Baltimore's, but securely placed in the fork of a sturdy fruit 

 tree, at a moderate height, and woven with skill and precision, 

 like a basket. When the dried grasses from one of these nests 

 were stretched and measured, all were found to be very nearly the 

 same length, showing to what pains the little weaver had gone 

 to make the nest neat and pliable, yet strong. Four cloudy- 

 white eggs with dark-brown spots are usually found in the nest 

 in June. 



227 



