Orchard Oriole
Icterus spurius

1/640s at f9.0, ISO:1600, Canon EOS-1D X w/800mm, x1.4 converter


The Orchard Oriole is the smallest North American species of icterid blackbird. The breeding habitat is semi-open areas with deciduous trees across eastern North America from near the United States-Canada border south to central Mexico. These birds enjoy living in shaded trees within parks along lakes and streams. The nest is a tightly woven pouch attached to a fork on a horizontal branch. Their nests tend to sit close together. While in breeding season, they eat insects and spiders. When the season changes, their diet also includes ripe fruit, which quickly passes through their digestive tract. During the winter, their diet consists of fruit, nectar, insects and seeds.
Medicine Creek, NE
 
05/23/2014