BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES 



(506) Icterus spiirius 



(Linn.) (Lat.. spurious). 



ORCHARD ORIOLE, Ad. d' — 

 As shown by the middle bird; black 

 and bright chestnut, 9 and young 

 of the year — As shown by the upper 

 bird; grayish-olive above and dull 

 yellowish below. The young cf in 

 the second year is shown by the lower 

 bird; similar to the femalo, with the 

 addition of a black throat; the third 

 year the perfect adult plumage is 

 attained, L., 7.00; W,, 3,15; T., 

 3,00, rounded; B., ,70, very slender 

 and somewhat decurved. Nest — i\ 

 handsome basket, sometimes pensile, 

 woven of green grasses; placed in 

 trees or bushes. 



Range — Breeds from Mass., south- 

 ern Ont,, and Minn, south to the 

 Gulf, With us May ist to Sept, ist. 



are unusually active and restless, but not very timid, as they 

 are seen about habitations oftener than others, 



ORCHARD ORIOLES are abundant in southern United 

 States and are met with occasionally as far north as Mas- 

 sachusetts and in the Mississippi Valley to Minnesota. 

 They frequent rather open country and are usually to be 

 found, as might be inferred from their names, in orchards. 

 They are quite active and restless, but keep where the foliage 

 is dense, so that, were it not for their song, they often would 

 be passed by unnoticed. Their song is very different from 

 that of our other orioles. It is a rather loud and clear warb- 

 ling, sounding quite a little like that of the Purple Finch or 

 the Warbling Vireo. 



These orioles are commonly cited as basket-makers, 

 because their nests are skilfully woven of tough green 

 grasses; they are not deep but are rather round, the walls 

 being thick and the cup rather small. They are strongly 

 attached in upright crotches where leaves are numerous, 

 so that it is very difficult to distinguish the similarly colored 



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