Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) Gail McPeek
Grandville, Kent Co., MI. 5/7/2007 © John Van Orman This species is sponsored in memory of Val Noble.
(Click to view a comparison of Atlas I to II)
Bird names have many different origins, and in Florida and other southern coastal states (Root 1988, Rising and Flood 1998). for this species inspiration came from the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore, Maryland’s colonial Distribution governor. The male Baltimore Oriole is well The Baltimore Oriole is a common summer known because of its brilliant orange and black resident across most of Michigan. It becomes plumage, but don’t overlook the yellowish- more locally distributed or absent in portions of orange female, who is colorful in her own right. the UP, where conifer forests dominate. Results Together the two are a regal pair. There was a from both MBBA I and II, clearly show that this brief period when this species and the similar species has become more widely distributed Bullock’s Oriole were lumped together under over the past 100 years. Barrows (1912) wrote the name Northern Oriole, because of frequent that it was apparently absent altogether from hybridization in the Great Plains area. Upon most of the UP. A few decades later, Wood further research, the two were again separated (1951) deemed it common in the southern half into distinct biological species (Monroe et al. of the state, uncommon and local north, and 1995), a decision popular with many birders and while there were no nesting records in the UP, non-birders fond of the original name. he suspected it probably bred there. Not long
afterwards, Zimmerman and Van Tyne (1959) The Baltimore Oriole is one of two oriole recorded the first UP nesting record in species breeding in Michigan. It is the more Ontonagon County. They also noted an increase common of the two and more widely in observations in the Douglas Lake area of distributed, being found in association with Cheboygan County since 1930. deciduous woodlands across the state. Its North
American breeding range extends from the By the 1980s, the Baltimore Oriole was Rockies east to the Atlantic coast, south to the common across the entire LP. During MBBA I Gulf states and north to southern and central it was recorded in 95% of SLP townships and Canada. Considered a Neotropical migrant, 90% of NLP townships. Even more remarkable most Baltimore Orioles winter from Mexico to was the change in status in the UP since the northern South America. For the past several 1950s, with observations in 36% of townships decades however, larger numbers have wintered
© 2010 Kalamazoo Nature Center Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) Gail McPeek including 50 breeding confirmations. This UP Abundance and Population Trends distribution corresponds to deciduous woodland (Click to view trends from the BBS) habitats and residential areas (McPeek 1991). The Baltimore Oriole is a common breeding bird in many parts of the state, but it is not a MBBA II results show an overall similar particularly abundant species. Totals from Atlas distribution to MBBA I, particularly in the LP. block counts and BBS route averages are Township totals were down slightly in this considerably lower when compared to species region, but overall effort in the LP was less in on the Atlas Top Ten list. The PIF Landbird MBBA II. UP reports of Baltimore Orioles, on Population Estimate (PIF 2008) for Michigan the other hand, were down considerably (25% Baltimore Orioles is 230,000. Interestingly, this vs 36%) even though UP effort in MBBA II was is similar to estimates for other birds of open greater by nearly 10%. A similar pattern of woodland habitats, such as Rose-breasted decline was reported in neighboring Ontario by Grosbeak, Warbling Vireo, Least Flycatcher, Cadman (2007) where significantly fewer Black-and-white Warbler, and Eastern Wood- orioles were observed in the northern regions Pewee. during their second atlas. He indicated that forest growth and reduction in open woodlands Patterns of abundance within the state have may account for this change, and the same may remained the same since MBBA I. Highest be true in the UP. Further maturation of forests densities of Baltimore Orioles are generally may have rendered habitat less suitable for this found in southwestern Michigan. All but one of species which favors more open woodlands with the townships with block totals in the 39-70 tall trees. range were in this region. Other areas of relatively higher abundance occured in Breeding Biology southeastern counties including Oakland, Baltimore Orioles return to Michigan in early to Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne and St Clair; mid May, and occasionally in late April in the central counties of Isabella and Mecosta; and in southern counties. Males precede females by the Grand Traverse region. In the UP, there are several days and are easy to detect as they sing local concentrations in Menominee, Dickinson, their cheery song from prominent perches. and Iron Counties. When females arrive, they too will sing and pairs communicate with short song phrases. Following the Baltimore Oriole’s increasing population trend documented by BBS routes The trademark, saggy pouch nest is built solely from 1966-85 (Adams et al. 1988), review of by the female. It is an amazing structure woven Michigan data indicate a decline, though not from plant fibers and typically suspended from significant, from the mid-1980s to 2007 (Sauer droopy branches high in the canopy. The nest is et al. 2008). This pattern of increase and then incredibly durable and can often be found after decrease occurred across much of the North, autumn leaf fall. The female incubates the four including Wisconsin (Shultz 2006), Ontario to five eggs, and both parents help in the feeding (Cadman 2007), and New York (McGowen of the young. Recorded egg dates for Michigan 2008). are 15 May to 13 June, with fledglings from 15 June to 14 July. Only one brood is raised per Conservation Needs season, and fall migration occurs in August and Although there has been a recent general pattern September. of decline in parts of its range, the Baltimore Oriole is not a species of conservation concern at this time. This species relies heavily on insects during the breeding season, so pesticide
© 2010 Kalamazoo Nature Center Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) Gail McPeek spraying is always a potential threat. As pointed Rising, J.D., and N.J. Flood. 1998. Baltimore out by Rising and Flood (1998), winter habitat Oriole (Icterus galbula). Account 384 in A. and changes in farming practices in Central and Poole and F. Gill, editors. The Birds of South America may have the most significant North America. The Birds of North negative impact on the species, and is where America, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, research and monitoring are needed most. USA. Root, T. 1988. Atlas of Wintering North Literature Cited American Birds: An Analysis of Christmas Bird Count Data. University of Chicago Adams, Jr., R.J., G.A. McPeek, and D.C. Evers. Press, Chicago, Illinois, USA. 1988. Bird population changes in Michigan, Sauer, J.R., E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2008. The 1966-1985. Jack-Pine Warbler 66:71-86. North American Breeding Bird Survey, Barrows, W.B. 1912. Michigan Bird Life. Results and Analysis 1966-2007. Version Special Bulletin. Michigan Agricultural 5.15. 28 USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research College. Lansing, Michigan, USA. Center, Laurel, Maryland, USA. Cadman, M.D. 2007. Baltimore Oriole (Icterus Schultz, T.R. 2006. Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula). Pages 606-607 in M.D. Cadman, galbula). Pages 486-487 in N.J. Cutright, D.A. Sutherland, G.G. Beck, D. Lepage, and B.R. Harriman and R.W. Howe, editors. A.R. Couturier, editors. Atlas of the Atlas of the Breeding birds of Wisconsin. Breeding Birds of Ontario, 2001-2005. Bird Wisconsin Society for Ornithology. Studies Canada, Environment Canada, Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA. Ontario Field Ornithologists, Ontario Wood, N.A. 1951. The Birds of Michigan. Ministry of Natural Resources, and Ontario Miscellaneous Publication 75. University of Nature. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Michigan Museum of Zoology. Ann Arbor, McGowan, K.J. 2008. Baltimore Oriole Michigan, USA. (Icterus galbula). Pages 604-605 in K.J. Zimmerman, D.A., and J. Van Tyne. 1959. A McGowan, and K. Corwin, editors. The Distributional Checklist of the Birds of Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New Michigan. Occasional Paper 608. York State. Cornell University Press. University of Michigan Museum of Ithaca, New York, USA. Zoology. Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. McPeek, G.A. 1991. Northern Oriole (Icterus galbula). Pages 512-513 in R. Brewer, G.A. Suggested Citation McPeek, and R.J. Adams, Jr. The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Michigan. Michigan McPeek, G. 2011. Baltimore Oriole (Icterus State University Press. East Lansing, galbula). in A.T. Chartier, J.J. Baldy, and Michigan, USA. J.M. Brenneman, editors. The Second Monroe, Jr., B.L., R.C. Banks, J.W. Fitzpatrick, Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas. Kalamazoo T.R. Howell, and N.K. Johnson. 1995. Nature Center. Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. Fortieth Supplement to the American Accessed online at:
© 2010 Kalamazoo Nature Center