Where does the Orchard Oriole live?
Icterus spurius
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Open the appThe Orchard Oriole lives in specific habitats and regions. Knowing where, and when, to look improves your chances of a successful sighting.
Biomes
Temperate forests, grasslands, urban/suburban areas.
Geographic range
Breeds across the eastern and central United States, from the Great Plains east to the Atlantic coast, and southern Canada. Winters from central Mexico south through Central America to northern Colombia and Venezuela.
Preferred environments
Open woodlands, orchards, suburban parks, gardens, riparian corridors, and scattered trees in agricultural landscapes. They prefer areas with deciduous trees, especially those with a mix of mature trees and open understory.
Elevation range
Typically found from sea level up to approximately 1,500 meters (5,000 feet).
Where to look
Orchards and Farms
True to their name, orchards are excellent places to find them, as are farms with scattered trees and hedgerows.
Suburban Parks and Gardens
Areas with mature deciduous trees, especially those with flowering plants or fruit trees, can attract Orchard Orioles.
Riparian Areas
Along rivers and streams with cottonwoods, willows, and other deciduous trees.
Open Woodlands
Deciduous or mixed woodlands with an open understory, rather than dense forests.
Field tips
- Listen for their song. Their distinctive, rapid, warbling song is often the first indication of their presence, especially during the breeding season. They sing from high perches.
- Look in the canopy. They forage and sing high in deciduous trees. Scan the upper branches, especially where there are flowers or ripening fruit.
- Check flowering trees and shrubs. They are attracted to nectar sources, so look for them around flowering plants like trumpet vine or fruit trees.
- Visit during migration. During spring and fall migration, they can be found in a wider variety of habitats as they move through.
Migration
Long-distance Neotropical migrant. Arrives on breeding grounds in late April to May and departs for wintering grounds from late July to September. Migrates primarily at night.
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