By Melanie Prichard
Geographic Range
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).
Habitat
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.
Physical Description
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).
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
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 .
Behavior
The Hooded Oriole is a social species. They tend to flock with related birds such as the Bullocks Oriole. Hooded Orioles move around, mostly up and down the southwest coast, while migrating to Mexico in the wintertime.
Jays, ravens and crows prey upon eggs and young nestling Orioles. Adult birds are occasionally preyed upon by various raptor species. Their nests in California become parasitized by both the bronzed and brown-headed cowbirds.
(Choate 1985)
The Hooded Oriole sings short songs of mimicry that sound sweet and soothing.
Key behaviors:
flies; motile .
Food Habits
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).
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Hooded Orioles eat a significant number of insects which are considered agricultural pests.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Least Concern.
US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.
CITES: [link]:
No special status.
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Contributors
Melanie Prichard (author), Fresno City College.
Carl Johansson (editor), Fresno City College.
