LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AGFC) -- The bird of the week for April 10 is the Baltimore Oriole.
The flute like song of the Baltimore Oriole, heard from treetops near homes and parks, is a sign of spring in eastern North America. When the Baltimore oriole returns to nest in Arkansas this spring, it will have completed a round-trip journey from Central America.
Look up high in the trees to find these songbird travelers: the male's brilliant orange plumage blazes from high branches like a glowing ember. Nearby, you might spot the female weaving her remarkable hanging nest from slender fibers. Fond of fruit and nectar as well as insects, Baltimore Orioles are easily lured to backyard feeders filled with nectar or fruit.
Adult males are flame-orange and black, with a solid-black head and one white bar on their black wings. Females and immature males are yellow-orange on the breast, grayish on the head and back, with two bold white wing bars. Look for Baltimore Orioles high in leafy deciduous trees, but not in thick forests: they're found in open woodland edges, orchards, and stands of trees along rivers, in parks, and in backyards.
Information excerpted from Cornell's All About Birds.
