by Steven Cuthill

Created on: July 26, 2008

The Hooded Oriole (Latin Name: Icterus cucullatus) is a remarkably attractive bird, about 7 inches in length with a sharply pointed beak. The species is sexually dimorphic. The male has a black face, chin and throat, back, wings and tail with a bright yellow to sunburnt orange head, belly, rump and tail coverts and white wing bars. The female is much duller, with greenish-grey upper body and yellowish belly with two wing bars. An immature male looks similar to the female but has a black throat.

Hooded Orioles are passeriformes and belong to the same family as Blackbirds and eat a range of insects, spiders, caterpillars, fruit and nectar. They can be seen hanging upside down whilst searching for food or perched near the ground. They have strong direct flight.

Hooded Orioles breeds in suburban areas of the southwestern United States, from central California, Nevada through central Arizona, New Mexico and Texas and can be seen in the winter in the southern states, living near deciduous woodlands and settlements.

The Hooded Oriole can be identified by its rapid, choppy series or warbling notes and a sharp "wheeat" call and dry chatter.

Hooded Orioles are social birds and can be seen flocking with other related birds. A group of orioles is referred to as a "pitch" or a "split".

Orioles nest in suspended nests preferring to use palm leaves, where the female pokes holes in the leaf from below and pushes the fibres, sowing the nest into the leaf. It takes a few days for the female to complete the nest. Anywhere between 3-7 eggs are laid between early April and early May, which are white, pale yellow or blue with irregular brown spots around the blunt end. The young leave the nest after 14 days and are tended to by both parents. The Brown Cowbird parasitizes Hooded Oriole nests with one or more eggs expecting them to be reared by the foster parents.

To encourage them into your garden, consider a bird bath and plant a few dense foliage plants such as willows, california sycamores, cottonwoods and oak as well as fan palms. Use Oriole sugar-water feeders with perches to attract them in the summer along with other common bird table foods. Keep experimenting as different birds like different foods.

Relates species include: Bullock's Oriole, Black vented Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Scott's Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, Altamira Oriole, Spot-Breasted Oriole, Audubon's Oriole and Streak-Backed Oriole.

References:

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/5 65/_/Hooded_Oriole.aspx
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Hooded_Oriole_dtl.html
http:/ /www.shawcreekbirdsupply.com/attracting_orioles.htm

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