BirdBrain Academy

Blackbirds and Orioles · Icteridae

Orchard Oriole sounds

Icterus spurius

The Orchard Oriole is the smallest icterid, a small migratory songbird of semi-open wooded places in North America.

Learn bird sounds freeMore Orchard Oriole recordings
Orchard Oriole
Photo: Dan Pancamo, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Listen to the Orchard Oriole

Each recording below is a short excerpt with its spectrogram, a picture of the sound. Time runs left to right and higher pitches sit higher up. Play each one, then look for the same shape in the next. Different recordings of the same bird help you learn the bird, not one clip.

Call · recording 1 Spectrogram of a Orchard Oriole call: time runs left to right and pitch rises upward

Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma, Grey Cloud Dunes SNA, Washington, Minnesota, 2013-05-25. XC134877 on xeno-canto, CC BY-SA 3.0. Five-second excerpt.

Call · recording 2 Spectrogram of a Orchard Oriole call: time runs left to right and pitch rises upward

Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma, Grey Cloud Dunes SNA, Washington, Minnesota, 2012-06-01. XC102970 on xeno-canto, CC BY-SA 3.0. Five-second excerpt.

Call · recording 3 Spectrogram of a Orchard Oriole call: time runs left to right and pitch rises upward

Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma, Grey Cloud Dunes SNA, Washington, Minnesota, 2013-05-25. XC134877 on xeno-canto, CC BY-SA 3.0. Five-second excerpt.

What to listen for

What it looks like

The Orchard Oriole is 5.9-7.1 inches long, with a pointed black bill and white wing bars. Adult males are mostly black with chestnut underparts, shoulder, and rump, while females and juveniles are olive-green above with yellowish breast and belly.

Where to find it

It breeds in semi-open areas with deciduous trees, including shaded trees in parks along lakes and streams. In flight, Orchard Orioles usually swoop close to the ground and fly at or below treetop level.

BirdBrain regions that include this bird

  • California
  • Central America
  • Eastern Canada
  • Florida
  • Great Lakes
  • Mexico
  • Mid-Atlantic
  • New England
  • Plains
  • Polynesia
  • Southeast
  • Texas
  • Western Canada

Did you know?

  • The nest is a tightly woven pouch attached to a fork on a horizontal branch.
  • Orchard Orioles are nocturnal migrants.
  • During courtship, females may bow, seesaw, or flutter their half-extended wings before a high whistle.

Learn the Orchard Oriole by ear

BirdBrain Academy teaches bird sounds with side-by-side listening and quizzes that use different recordings, so you learn the bird rather than one clip. Start with six free lessons, no signup needed. On your phone, Sound ID can name the birds singing around you.

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Related birds

Species notes are adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and checked for BirdBrain. Recordings come from xeno-canto under the licenses shown with each one. Photo: Dan Pancamo, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Identification guidance is educational; birds vary, so confirm unusual sightings with local experts or eBird.