Meet the ORIOLES

GET TO KNOW eight TYPES SEEN THROUGHOUT THE U.S. AND WHAT MAKES EACH ONE STAND OUT

- KENN, KIMBERLY KAUFMAN

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