The orioles are among the brightest colored birds and one of the birds most fond of fresh fruit and sugary solutions.
There are five orioles distributed across the lower 48 states. The two we have chosen are the most popular in the east and the western portions of the United States. The Baltimore oriole had its name changed to northern oriole and then researchers discovered the bullock oriole and the old Baltimore oriole were interbreeding, so they combined the two species into the northern oriole. There is a difference in coloration between the two, that become mixed where the ranges overlap.
Bullock Oriole (now called the northern oriole) male is black and orange but the black on the head is confined to the crown and a black line runs through the eye. The back is black as are the wings, but the shoulder area has bright white patches. The throat is black but the underbelly is orange. The female is lemon yellow with a gray underbelly. The back is washed with brown and has white wing bars.
Northern Oriole (Baltimore type) male is deep orange with a black hood running down the back and the breast. The base of the tail is solid black with a black streak running down the middle of the tail, with orange on each side. The female is distinctly orange-yellow with the color extending through the underbelly. The back is brown with white wing bars.
The orioles are another bird which practices “anting.” The birds rub their feathers with ants that have sprayed folic acid, to help with removing parasites.