Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Hooded Orioles eat a significant number of insects which are considered agricultural pests.
The Hooded Oriole's diet consists mostly of fruit, nectar, and insects. This bird will forage in shrubs and trees to find the insects and fruit. The nectar can be extracted from such plants as agaves, aloes, hibiscus, lilies, and other tubular flowers. That is where their pointed bill becomes useful: it will pierce the base of the flower to obtain the nectar. By doing this it will not pollinate the flower (Baicich 1997, Terres 1980, Readers Digest 1990).
Hooded Orioles are found in North America. March through mid-September Hooded Orioles are found from Southern Texas through central California. By the end of September they migrate south to Mexico (Garret and Dunn 1981).
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
The Hooded Oriole can be described as a neotropical migrant. These birds are typically found in riparian areas. Humans have planted many species of non-native trees. These trees have increased the numbers of nesting sites available for the orioles. As a result the orioles can also be found in some decidous and riparian woodlands and human habitations, often by ranches or towns. (Ahlborn, Readers Digest 1990).
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; chaparral ; scrub forest
Aquatic Biomes: rivers and streams
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 72 months.
Hooded Orioles are sexually dimorphic. The male has an orange-yellow coloring with a black face, tail, wings and back. The wings on the bird will have two white bars of feathers. While the female has the same two white bars on her wings, her coloring is an olive-green with a yellowish shade underneath. Both male and female are the same in size, ranging from 112-128 cm (7-8 in.) long. The bill of the Hooded Oriole has a slight down curve that comes to a sharp point, enabling them to feed off tubular flowers (Readers Digest 1990).
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Breeding season for this Oriole starts from early April to early May. The male will flutter around the female singing soft melodies with his bill open and pointing upward; the female will respond to the male in the same manner.
The nests can be found in a tall tree, preferably in a fan palm. Other trees regularly used for nesting include cottonwoods, sycamores, live oaks, and eucalyptus. The nest is built 2 - 15 meters (6-45 feet) above ground to protect against any unwanted predators. These nests are penduline (hang from branches )and the nesting chamber is cup shaped about 10 cm (4 inches) in depth and about the same in width. They are suspended by twigs and woven with string, dry vegitation, and any other fiberous materials that can be found. The female is the main builder of these nests; it takes her 3-5 days to complete it.
Typically 3-5 eggs are laid in the nest. The incubation period for those eggs is about 12-14 days, and they incubated only by the female. Their eggs are white, pale yellow or pale blue. They are lightly spotted with a grayish brown coloring. The hatching of the eggs usually takes place mid to late summer. The young are tended to by both parents and will leave the nest about 14 days after being hatched (Baicich 1997, Ehrlich 1988, Readers Digest 1990, Terres 1980).
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous
Average time to hatching: 13 days.
Average eggs per season: 4.
The hooded oriole (Icterus cucullatus) is a medium-sized New World oriole. The male of this species ranges in color from a bright orange to a paler yellow, with a black back, face, tail and bib, with the wing containing two white bars. The female is more of an olive color with some yellow accents.[2]
Adults have a curved bill which is completely black and white wing bars. The adult male has a deep yellowish orange head with black on the face and throat; they are black on the back, wings and tail, orange on the underparts. The adult female is olive-green on the upper parts, yellowish on the breast and belly. Their calls consist of whistling and wheets, while their song is a mixture of both.
Their breeding habitat is open areas with trees, especially palms, across the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The nest is a tightly woven pouch attached to the underside of a leaf or tree branch. Sometimes their nest is filled with the egg of a brown-headed cowbird which is a parasite bird that lays its eggs in other birds nests for that species to take care of.
These birds migrate in flocks south to Mexico's southwestern coast; they are permanent residents in Baja California Sur, the Mexican east coast, and Belize. Some may over-winter near feeders. They can also be found in Southern California neighborhoods, but are rare in the winter.
They forage in trees and shrubs, also feeding from flowers. It is a nectar robber because it pierces the base of the flower, and does not assist in pollination. These birds mainly eat insects, nectar and fruit, and will also visit hummingbird feeders and bird feeders for seeds.
Diet
The hooded oriole's diet consists of insects, berries, and nectar.[3] Hooded Orioles are acrobatic feeders, often hanging upside down to get the nectar from flowers and to catch their prey.[4] This species feeds on a variety of insects, but may especially favor caterpillars, beetles, wasps, and ants. Hooded orioles forage for food slowly, gathering insects from foliage in the trees and feeding on berries, along with sometimes oranges or other citrus. They also probe flowers for nectar, and may take insects there as well. They are common visitors to insect and hummingbird feeders.[5]
Voice
The song of the hooded oriole tends to be short and abrupt. The notes are rapid and lack the whistling nature of many other oriole species, and often sound nasal and whiny in nature.[6]
There is a high amount of variation both geographically and individually within the song of the hooded oriole. Each male also sings many different types of songs. The hooded oriole has been known to include mimicry in its song, notably in Arizona some individuals have included the songs of the Gila Woodpecker and the Ash-throated Flycatcher.
Common calls of the hooded oriole include a whistled wheet or sweet sound. A chatter call is given as an alarm, somewhat similar to that of the Baltimore oriole or Bullock's oriole. The individual notes of the hooded oriole's chatter are given more quickly however, and it creates a shriller sound. Juveniles commonly give a soft chut and a harsher chuck or chet, however these have also been observed being given by adults.[7]
Nesting
Males arrive at their nesting sites in the last weeks of March and set up breeding territories. The breeding season lasts from April to July in Texas, May to August in Arizona, April to mid-August in California, and May to August in Baja California.
Recent reports state that the nests are constructed and secured on the undersides of palms and banana plants. Location and structure materials vary geographically. Arizona nests are often made of grasses and located in taller trees. Meanwhile, California nests are made from palm fibers and located on the underside of palm plants. The hooded oriole's nest is basket shaped, and much deeper than its relatives.[8]
Female hooded orioles lay a clutch of 3-5 eggs. The eggs are generally white, but can range into a pale blue with darker splotches. The eggs are incubated for 12-14 days, and the nestlings take about 14 days to fledge. This species is also commonly parasitized by the brown-headed cowbird and the bronzed cowbird.[9]
There are five subspecies divided into two groups: those east of the Big Bend in Texas, which are more orange in color, and those found in New Mexico and more south, which are yellower in color.[10]
I. c. cucullatus
This subspecies is found in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and south through Mexico to Oaxaca and Veracruz. This subspecies is very orange in color.[11]
I. c. sennetti
This subspecies occurs from the lower Rio Grande valley of Texas south along the coastal plain into Tamaulipas. This subspecies is similar in color to cucullatus but is notably paler and more yellow.[12]
I. c. igneus
This subspecies occurs in southern Mexico from East Tabasco and the Yucatán Peninsula south into Belize. This is the brightest most orange form. It has been reported that females of this subspecies may display a more greyish throat patch.[13]
I. c. nelsoni
This is the western form of this species, found from California south to North Baja California, and east into Arizona and New Mexico. This subspecies is noticeably more yellow than the others. This subspecies also has a much more slender bill, and longer wings and shorter tail.[14]
I. c. trochiloides
This subspecies is found in Baja California and Mexico. This is a yellowish-orange combo, and has a much longer and thinner bill.[15]
1st summer - South Padre Island, Texas
Female - South Padre Island, Texas
Juvenile in California, United States
The hooded oriole (Icterus cucullatus) is a medium-sized New World oriole. The male of this species ranges in color from a bright orange to a paler yellow, with a black back, face, tail and bib, with the wing containing two white bars. The female is more of an olive color with some yellow accents.
