Icterus spurius
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The orchard oriole (Icterus spurius) is the smallest species of icterid. The subspecies of the Caribbean coast of Mexico, I. s. fuertesi, is sometimes considered a separate species, the ochre oriole or Fuertes's oriole. The orchard oriole is a small bird with a length of 5.9-7.1 inches, a weight of 0.6-1.0 ounces, and a wingspan of 9.8 inches. Adult males have chestnut or ochre underparts, while adult females and juveniles have olive-green upper parts and yellowish breasts and bellies. They inhabit semi-open areas with deciduous trees in eastern North America, southern Tamaulipas, and Veracruz. Their winter range extends from central Sinaloa and southern Veracruz to northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela.
Orchard orioles prefer living near lakes and streams, nesting in tightly woven pouches attached to horizontal tree branches. They are nocturnal migrants and feed on insects, spiders, fruit, nectar, and seeds depending on the season. During flight, they usually swoop close to the ground and fly at or below treetop level. Courtship displays include bowing, seesawing, and begging. The species name "spurius" refers to their original misidentification as female Baltimore orioles, and they are sometimes mistaken for New World warblers. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | |
| 4 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Managua | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 9 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 10 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Florida Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Orchard Oriole sighting in Portland on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 91st most-seen of the 230 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and December–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Orchard Oriole in Portland on a given day, against under 5% in February and April–November, the lowest months. Those are among Portland's wettest months, with about 220 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in July.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Orchard Oriole sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
13th of 34
Of the 34 cities where we can rate Orchard Oriole sightings, Portland ranks 13th at under 5%. The best odds are in San Pedro Sula (Honduras, about 20%), Guatemala City (Guatemala, about 20%) and San Salvador (El Salvador, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Orchard Oriole is recorded against all the birds logged in Portland (14 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
