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Bullock’s oriole is a colorful visitor to area yards.
Silly me. When I began the "For the Birds column" a year ago, there was the fear that I would run out of material.
My major emphasis was going to be birds of Douglas County and I thought it could be hard to keep readers interested.
Little did I realize that people reading these articles would raise such interesting questions that it's doubtful there will ever be a shortage of subjects to write about.
Linda, with whom I have an e-mail correspondence, graciously sent an excellent photo of a male Bullock's oriole. She and someone I met at the Saturday Farmer's Market inspired me to concentrate on this colorful seasonal visitor. The question was, "What's the name of the bird that keeps attacking my red-hot pokers?"
You've probably noticed these striking plants known as red-hot pokers, or torch lilies, in flower gardens throughout Douglas County. The scientific name is kniphofia uvaria and although native to South Africa, they have adapted quite well to the warm climates of California and Oregon. Flower stalks, always taller than the leaves, can grow to a height of 3 to 6 feet and drooping orange-red or yellow tubular flowers overlap one another forming a poker-like cluster 12 inches long.
These flowers contain lots of nectar and are a favorite feeding source for hummingbirds and the Bullock's oriole.
The word oriole comes from the Latin meaning "golden" and is the common name for some 50 species worldwide, half of which are found in the Western Hemisphere. Of these, 10 live in North America or visit regularly. Baltimore and Orchard orioles are located in the eastern two-thirds of the United States.
The Bullock's oriole is a Western bird. It was named in 1827 after William Bullock, an English traveler and owner of Bullock's Museum in London, after he successfully captured the yet-unnamed species near Mexico City.
It's too tedious to get into a discussion of whether the Baltimore and Bullock's oriole should be lumped into one species. Some birding guides will have a reference just to Northern orioles and others will have the two species listed separately.
I prefer to call the western bird Bullock's oriole because it doesn't look like the Baltimore oriole. Although the females are not as easy to differentiate, the colorful males are quite different in appearance.
The Baltimore oriole, named in honor of Sir George Calvert, 1st Baron of Baltimore, is a handsome bird with a black hood and back contrasting sharply with bright orange rump and underparts. Bullock's oriole, on the other hand, does not sport a solid black hood. Its black head markings are limited to crown, eye line, and throat patch. It also has a bold white patch on the wing which further differentiates it from the eastern oriole.
Not quite as handsome or musical in voice as the eastern variety, he nevertheless presents a dashing quality as he flits from branch to branch looking for either a suitable nesting site or a juicy caterpillar.
As much as 80 percent of oriole food consists of bugs, flying insects and caterpillars. Fruits and berries are also on the menu. If you have a hummingbird feeder perhaps you've seen these birds use various contortions to get at the sugar water.
Some people have attracted orioles to their yards by placing grape jelly in trays or by slicing oranges in half and attaching them to feeders and fence posts. I use a metal pole which has a plastic tray on top. Periodically I place a few spoonfuls of grape jelly in the tray and place the feeder in the shade of a large maple tree. To keep earwigs, ants and other climbing insects away, I smear a circle of axle grease around the pole. The axle grease doesn't melt and because these insects don't like to cross the sticky substance, you won't be bothered cleaning up an unappetizing mess each time you refill the tray.
In late April and May, male Bullock's orioles leave their winter homes in Mexico and South America a few days before the female contingent departs. Once they settle on a possible nesting site, males will sing and display brilliant plumage to attract a prospective mate.
Although females build the nests, males often supply the materials. Nests are ingenious oval-shaped woven bags 6 inches deep made of plant fibers, hair, fine grass and moss, usually at the end of a branch and fastened to supporting twigs both on the top and at its sides. Favorite nesting trees appear to be cottonwood, birch, willow, sycamore and juniper.
These birds are not overly territorial and sometimes several pairs nest in one tree, especially when suitable nesting sites are not readily available. Because nests are built in dense foliage at a height anywhere from 6 to 50 feet, they might not be visible until deciduous trees have lost their leaves in the fall.
Enjoy your Bullock's orioles. They are delightful additions to any yard and when they migrate in August and September, they will still be back in early spring. That's something to look forward to each year.
For The Birds is an occasional column about bird-watching tips and tales on The News-Review's Outdoors page written by Audubon Society member Anna Slemmer. Share your bird questions with us by mailing to For the Birds, P.O. Box 381, Roseburg, OR 97470 or e-mailing aslem@jeffnet.org.
My major emphasis was going to be birds of Douglas County and I thought it could be hard to keep readers interested.
Little did I realize that people reading these articles would raise such interesting questions that it's doubtful there will ever be a shortage of subjects to write about.
Linda, with whom I have an e-mail correspondence, graciously sent an excellent photo of a male Bullock's oriole. She and someone I met at the Saturday Farmer's Market inspired me to concentrate on this colorful seasonal visitor. The question was, "What's the name of the bird that keeps attacking my red-hot pokers?"
You've probably noticed these striking plants known as red-hot pokers, or torch lilies, in flower gardens throughout Douglas County. The scientific name is kniphofia uvaria and although native to South Africa, they have adapted quite well to the warm climates of California and Oregon. Flower stalks, always taller than the leaves, can grow to a height of 3 to 6 feet and drooping orange-red or yellow tubular flowers overlap one another forming a poker-like cluster 12 inches long.
These flowers contain lots of nectar and are a favorite feeding source for hummingbirds and the Bullock's oriole.
The word oriole comes from the Latin meaning "golden" and is the common name for some 50 species worldwide, half of which are found in the Western Hemisphere. Of these, 10 live in North America or visit regularly. Baltimore and Orchard orioles are located in the eastern two-thirds of the United States.
The Bullock's oriole is a Western bird. It was named in 1827 after William Bullock, an English traveler and owner of Bullock's Museum in London, after he successfully captured the yet-unnamed species near Mexico City.
It's too tedious to get into a discussion of whether the Baltimore and Bullock's oriole should be lumped into one species. Some birding guides will have a reference just to Northern orioles and others will have the two species listed separately.
I prefer to call the western bird Bullock's oriole because it doesn't look like the Baltimore oriole. Although the females are not as easy to differentiate, the colorful males are quite different in appearance.
The Baltimore oriole, named in honor of Sir George Calvert, 1st Baron of Baltimore, is a handsome bird with a black hood and back contrasting sharply with bright orange rump and underparts. Bullock's oriole, on the other hand, does not sport a solid black hood. Its black head markings are limited to crown, eye line, and throat patch. It also has a bold white patch on the wing which further differentiates it from the eastern oriole.
Not quite as handsome or musical in voice as the eastern variety, he nevertheless presents a dashing quality as he flits from branch to branch looking for either a suitable nesting site or a juicy caterpillar.
As much as 80 percent of oriole food consists of bugs, flying insects and caterpillars. Fruits and berries are also on the menu. If you have a hummingbird feeder perhaps you've seen these birds use various contortions to get at the sugar water.
Some people have attracted orioles to their yards by placing grape jelly in trays or by slicing oranges in half and attaching them to feeders and fence posts. I use a metal pole which has a plastic tray on top. Periodically I place a few spoonfuls of grape jelly in the tray and place the feeder in the shade of a large maple tree. To keep earwigs, ants and other climbing insects away, I smear a circle of axle grease around the pole. The axle grease doesn't melt and because these insects don't like to cross the sticky substance, you won't be bothered cleaning up an unappetizing mess each time you refill the tray.
In late April and May, male Bullock's orioles leave their winter homes in Mexico and South America a few days before the female contingent departs. Once they settle on a possible nesting site, males will sing and display brilliant plumage to attract a prospective mate.
Although females build the nests, males often supply the materials. Nests are ingenious oval-shaped woven bags 6 inches deep made of plant fibers, hair, fine grass and moss, usually at the end of a branch and fastened to supporting twigs both on the top and at its sides. Favorite nesting trees appear to be cottonwood, birch, willow, sycamore and juniper.
These birds are not overly territorial and sometimes several pairs nest in one tree, especially when suitable nesting sites are not readily available. Because nests are built in dense foliage at a height anywhere from 6 to 50 feet, they might not be visible until deciduous trees have lost their leaves in the fall.
Enjoy your Bullock's orioles. They are delightful additions to any yard and when they migrate in August and September, they will still be back in early spring. That's something to look forward to each year.
For The Birds is an occasional column about bird-watching tips and tales on The News-Review's Outdoors page written by Audubon Society member Anna Slemmer. Share your bird questions with us by mailing to For the Birds, P.O. Box 381, Roseburg, OR 97470 or e-mailing aslem@jeffnet.org.
