- 1 Oriole description
- 2 How the female oriole differs from the male and the young
- 3 Bird habitat
- 4 Features of the migratory behavior of the Oriole
- 5 What does the oriole eat?
- 6 The sign language used by the Orioles
- 7 What behavior do Orioles exhibit during courtship season?
- 8 Oriole offspring
- 9 Oriole video
- 10 Singing orioles
Medium-sized oriole birds nest in trees. In males, the plumage is bright, in females it is dimmer.
Orioles live in forests all year round and spend most of their time in the crown of tall trees. The birds build a beautiful bowl-shaped nest of woven grasses where both parents raise chicks.
The Oriole is an outwardly cute bird and her singing is melodic.
Oriole description
- body length up to 25 cm;
- wings span up to 47 cm;
- weighs no more than 70 grams.
The adult male has a golden yellow head, top and bottom of the body. The wings are black with wide yellowish patches forming carpal spots on the folded wings, and a yellow crescent in flight. Flight feathers have narrow, pale yellowish tips. The tail is black, on the lower part of the large feathers there are many yellow dots. On the yellow head there are black markings near the eyes, a dark pink beak. The eyes are maroon or reddish brown. The paws and feet are blue-gray.
How the female oriole differs from the male and the young
The adult female has a greenish-yellow head, neck, mantle and back, the croup is yellowish. The wings are green to brownish. The tail is brownish-black with yellowish spots on the tips of the feathers.
The lower part of the chin, throat and upper part of the chest is pale gray, the belly is yellowish white. The lower part of the body with dark stripes, these are most noticeable on the chest. The plumage at the bottom of the tail is yellow-green.
Elderly females are similar to males, but their color is dull yellow with indistinct veins on the lower parts of the body.
Young orioles resemble females with a dull colored upper body and striped lower body.
Female and male orioles
Bird habitat
The oriole nests:
- in the center, in the south and west of Europe;
- in North Africa;
- in Altai;
- in the south of Siberia;
- in the northwest of China;
- in northern Iran.
Features of the migratory behavior of the Oriole
Spends winter in northern and southern Africa. The Oriole migrates mainly at night, although during the spring migration it also flies during the day. Orioles feed on fruits in the Mediterranean regions before they get to wintering grounds.
The Oriole lives in:
- deciduous forests;
- groves;
- parks with tall trees;
- large gardens.
The bird in search of food visits orchards, is considered a pest in the Mediterranean regions.
Chooses the oriole for nesting oaks, poplars and ash trees. Prefers forests below 600 m above sea level, although it is found above 1800 m in Morocco and 2000 m in Russia.
During their migration to the South, birds settle among dry bushes in savannas, oases and on separately growing fig trees.
What does the oriole eat?
The Oriole feeds on insects, including caterpillars, but also preys on small vertebrates such as mice, small lizards, eats chicks and eggs of other birds, and consumes fruits and berries, seeds, nectar and pollen.
The main diet of orioles at the beginning of the breeding season:
- insects;
- spiders;
- earthworms;
- snails;
- leeches.
Various fruits and berries are eaten by birds during the second part of the breeding season.
The Oriole feeds alone, in pairs, in small groups in the canopy of trees. It catches insects in flight, and collects earthworms and terrestrial invertebrates on the ground. The bird hovers before grabbing prey on the ground in open areas.
The sign language used by the Orioles
During the breeding season, the male sings loudly at dawn and dusk over his territory. The defensive behavior is also accompanied by loud noises.
Threatening an opponent or enemies, the oriole turns its body from side to side and ruffles the feathers of its neck, sings a song, increasing the number of notes, the speed and intensity of the melody.
When other birds fly into the nesting area, birds of both sexes assume aggressive postures, spread their wings, inflate their tails and stretch their heads forward and fly in front of intruders. With these postures, birds also react to other manifestations of threats and accompany them with cries, flaps of wings and blows with their beaks.
Chases and physical contacts are accompanied, sometimes, but rarely, by a collision in the air or falling to the ground, with the birds holding the opponent with their paws. These interactions sometimes result in injury or death to one of the orioles.
What behavior do Orioles exhibit during courtship season?
During the mating season, birds sing songs and arrange chases in the air. The male performs a complex flight dance with falling down, hovering, spreading his wings and waving his tail in front of the female. This courtship is followed by copulation, on the branches or in the nest.
Bird movement during nesting
The Oriole flies quickly, the flight is slightly wavy, the bird makes powerful, but infrequent flaps of its wings. Orioles sit on the branches, fly from the top of one tree to the top of another, never stay in open areas for a long time. Orioles can hover for short periods with quick flapping of their wings.
Bird behavior after the end of courtship courtship
After courting and clearing the nesting area from intruder birds, the male and female begin the breeding season. The female builds a beautiful bowl-shaped nest for one or two weeks (or more). The male sometimes also collects nesting materials.
The nest is an open bowl-shaped design, made from:
- herbs;
- osoki;
- leaves;
- twigs;
- reed;
- bark;
- plant fibers.
The bottom with a depth of 3 to 13 cm is laid out:
- roots;
- grass;
- feathers;
- rest in peace;
- fur;
- wool;
- moss;
- lichens;
- paper.
The nest is suspended on thin horizontal branched branches, high in the crown of a tree next to a water source.
Oriole offspring
The female lays 2-6 white eggs with dark spots scattered over the shell in May / June or early July. Both adults incubate the offspring, but mostly the female, for two weeks. The male feeds his girlfriend in the nest.
After hatching, the female takes care of the chicks, but both parents bring invertebrates to the offspring, and then berries and fruits. Juveniles rise on the wing about 14 days after hatching and fly freely at the age of 16-17 days, depending on the parents in terms of nutrition until August / September, before the start of the migration period. Orioles are ready for breeding at the age of 2-3 years.
