Icterus spurius
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
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 Manuel Antonio National Park on a given day, based on 39 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 179th most-seen of the 325 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Orchard Oriole in Manuel Antonio National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September–October and December–July, the lowest months. Those are among Manuel Antonio National Park's wettest months, with about 710 mm of rain a month against 35 mm in February.
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.
32nd of 48
Of the 48 parks where we can rate Orchard Oriole sightings, Manuel Antonio National Park ranks 32nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 40%), Lago de Yojoa (Honduras, about 20%) and Badlands National Park (United States, about 20%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Orchard Oriole is recorded against all the birds logged in Manuel Antonio National Park (39 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
