ORCHARD ORIOLE
Icterus spurius (Linnæus)
Other Name.—Orchard Bird.
Description.—Smaller than Baltimore Oriole. Adult male: Head and neck, back, wings, and tail black, the greater coverts and secondaries edged with white; breast, belly, rump, upper tail-coverts and lesser coverts of wing, rich deep chestnut. Female: Olive-gray above; yellow on face, underparts and rump; wings with two whitish bars. The male in its first breeding plumage is like the female, but has a black throat-patch. Length: A little over 7 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather rare and exceedingly local species, found chiefly in the southern counties, but occasionally as far north as Crawford County in western Pennsylvania. It arrives in late April or early May and remains until September 15.
Nest.—A pouch of grass which is green when the nest is constructed, usually swung between upright twigs at the top of a small tree—rarely in a conifer. The nest is not so deep as that of a Baltimore Oriole and is never swung at the tip of a drooping branch, so far as I know.
Orchard Oriole, Male
The exceedingly bright and varied song of this species may puzzle the bird student who hears it for the first time. It is hardly deliberate enough to suggest an Oriole, but it is full-throated and tropical in fervor and decidedly noticeable. The flight is characteristic, giving the impression that the wings are never lifted above the back. Orchard Orioles are likely to nest in groups, several pairs in one neighborhood. They are so irregular in their occurrence that the bird student must watch assiduously for them.
BALTIMORE ORIOLE
Icterus galbula (Linnæus)
Other Names.—Hang-bird; Hang-nest; Golden Robin.
Description.—Smaller than Robin. Adult male: Head, neck, back, wings, and tail, black; lesser coverts orange; tertials and greater coverts edged with white; outer tail-feathers tipped with orange or yellow; breast, belly, rump, and upper tail-coverts, bright orange, deepest on breast. Female: Olive-brown above, yellow below; breast somewhat tinged with orange; wings with two noticeable buffy yellow bars; tertials prominently edged with whitish. Immature birds are similar to the female. Eyes dark brown; bill and feet blue-gray. Length: 7½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant summer resident from latter April to early fall. It is not often seen in the fall as it usually leaves before the middle of September.
Nest.—A deep pouch of plant-fibers, horse-hair, and string, lined with soft materials, swung from the tip of a branch, usually of an elm, maple, or sycamore, 15 to 60 feet from the ground. Eggs: 4 to 6, white, scrawled with blackish, chiefly at larger end.
The male Oriole is one of our most gorgeous birds, with his bright colors and loud, assertive song. In the full-flowered apple trees, the dignified creature crawls about, nipping at buds or snatching up insects. The female builds the nest, and the young call for food incessantly, often attracting attention to it. Some of the Oriole’s call-notes and alarm-notes are exceedingly harsh and grating, calling to mind the tropics, their ancestral home.
RUSTY BLACKBIRD
Euphagus carolinus (Müller)
Description.—Smaller than Robin. Adult male in spring: Entire plumage glossy blue-black; bill and feet black; eyes pale yellow. Adult female: Slate color, somewhat glossy above; wings and tail blackish. Adult male in winter: Black, all the feathers edged with buffy brown, the top of the head almost solid brownish. Young birds in their first winter plumage are chiefly responsible for the name of the bird. They are rusty brown, paler on head, richest on back, with slate-colored wings and tail, a dark line through the eye, and pale yellow eyes. Length: 9½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant, sometimes abundant, from early or mid-March (sometimes earlier) to early May and from September 10 to November 15. It usually occurs in flocks.