Orioles are wonderful songbirds. The Northern Oriole, which is the primary type of Oriole we will be talking about, live in-land during the summer and migrate to Mexico and Northern South America during the winter. During the summer, they live all across North America, and even in southern Canada. Are you thinking about attracting beautiful Orioles to your yard? Listen up!
One of the reasons Orioles are so appealing is because of their beautiful coloring. Males are bright orange and black, and usually have some white on their wings. Otherwise, their wings, head, and neck are black. The female Orioles and babies are olive where the males are black, and yellow where the males are orange.
A great thing about Orioles is that they construct their nests by suspending them off of branches or bushes. It results in a tear drop shape nest. This is great for you, because you will be able to easily spot nearby Oriole nests. In fact, Orioles are one of the easiest birds to spot in North America! However, this easily identifiable nest is also good for predators, because they can easily spot locations where Orioles live. The nests are usually made up of grasses and leaves, so if you have these materials in your backyard, you are on your way to attracting Orioles to your yard!
Let’s talk about what kinds of food Orioles like. Their primary source of food is insects, however they love fruit and berries. Among the fruits and berries you can provide Orioles include: raw apples, watermelon (pulp or rind), grapes, grape jelly, and oranges. Orioles are known to love pie crust!
Putting at least one Oriole feeder in your backyard is one of the easiest ways to attract Orioles to your yard. I have the Oriole Feeder by Perky Pet – 36 oz, pictured above, and I think it does a great job of attracting Orioles because of its bright orange color. This feeder can hold 36 ounces of nectar. It is capable of having three Orioles visit at once because it has three feeding ports and three perches. It is shatter proof and has a no drip proof feeding base. You can fill the Oriole Feeder by Perky Pet – 36 oz., with nectar, like the Perky Pet Orange Flavored Oriole Instant Nectar. All you have to do is add water to this instant nectar, and it makes delicious orange flavored nectar that your backyard Orioles are sure to love.
Another Oriole feeder I love is the Heath Oriole Fruit Feeder. This wood feeder can hold one piece of fruit on each side. It is easy for two Orioles to visit these feeder, as one can be on each side! You can experiment with which types of fruit attracts the most Orioles in your area.