Orchard Oriole Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesOrchard Oriole
Adult male (Orchard)
Slim songbirds with a straight, sharply pointed bill. Adult males are mostly black above with chestnut underparts and a chestnut patch in the wings.
© Bryan Calk / Macaulay LibraryTexas, May 13, 2020Female (Orchard)
Slim songbird with a straight, sharply pointed bill. Females are greenish yellow with two white wing bars and no black on the head or back.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, October 20, 2015Immature male (Orchard)
Immature males are greenish yellow overall like females, but have a black throat.
© Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, May 18, 2020Adult male (Fuertes's)
The subspecies (Fuertes's) that breeds in northeast Mexico and winters in southwest Mexico has golden yellow underparts instead of chestnut.
© Mark L. Hoffman / Macaulay LibraryVeracruz, April 23, 2018Immature male (Orchard)
As immature males molt into adult plumage patches of chestnut and black feathers begin to replace the greenish yellow feathers.
© Daniel Grossi / Macaulay LibraryOhio, May 15, 2018Adult male (Orchard)
Small for an Oriole with a straight, sharply pointed bill. Adult males have a black hood and upper back and a chestnut rump and underparts.
© Austin Jennings / Macaulay LibraryMaryland, May 04, 2018Adult female (Orchard)
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 01, 1997Not all videos have sound
Male (Orchard)
Spend summers in open woodlands and areas of scattered trees. Look for them along river edges, in pastures with scattered trees, and in parks and orchards.
© Gary Mueller / Macaulay LibraryMissouri, May 22, 2020Similar SpeciesBaltimore Oriole
Adult male
Adult male Baltimore Orioles are bright orange instead of a rich chestnut color like adult male Orchard Orioles.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryOntario, May 06, 2015Similar SpeciesBaltimore Oriole
Adult female
Adult female Baltimore Orioles are more orange on the breast and tail, and less greenish yellow than female Orchard Orioles.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 11, 2011Similar SpeciesBullock's Oriole
Female
Female Bullock's Orioles have a whiter belly and tend to be more orangish than female Orchard Orioles which are more greenish yellow overall and have a greenish yellow belly.
© Janey Woodley / Macaulay LibraryTexas, May 27, 2017Similar SpeciesHooded Oriole
Female
Female and immature male Hooded Orioles are best distinguished by shape: they are slightly larger, with a longer tail and a longer, distinctly curved bill compared to Orchard Orioles. Hooded also have thinner wingbars.
© Arlene Ripley / Macaulay LibraryArizona, July 04, 2017Similar SpeciesScarlet Tanager
Female
Female and nonbreeding male Scarlet Tanagers are chunkier birds with a much heavier bill and blackish wings without wingbars unlike female Orchard Orioles which have wingbars.
© Mike V.A. Burrell / Macaulay LibraryOntario, May 15, 2016Similar SpeciesScott's Oriole
Male
Scott's Orioles of the Southwest and Mexico have little range overlap with Orchard Oriole. Scott's is larger and longer-tailed with yellow instead of chestnut underparts.
© Aaron Marshall / Macaulay LibraryArizona, April 04, 2013Similar SpeciesPine Warbler
Adult female
Dull warblers such as Pine Warblers can look like female Orchard Orioles, but they are smaller, with more compact proportions and a shorter, less pointed bill.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 09, 2016Similar SpeciesAmerican Goldfinch
Breeding female
American Goldfinches are much smaller, with shorter proportions and a smaller, thicker bill compared to female Orchard Orioles.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, April 25, 2016Similar SpeciesWestern Tanager
Female
Western Tanagers have thicker and stubbier bills than Orchard Orioles.
© Arlene Ripley / Macaulay LibraryArizona, July 16, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Troupials and Allies(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Icteridae)
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