Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius By: Geri-Lynn Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: passeriformes Family: Icteridae Genus: Icterus Species: spurius

Natural History:

Millions and millions of years ago when the dinosaurs were living, there was a specific type of dinosaur, and it was called Archaeopteryx. Birds evolved from Archaeopteryx. The Archaeopteryx had teeth, and they had no wings. Now all kinds of birds have wings, so that's how they evolved.

Orchard orioles are a species of concern. The orchard oriole’s species is Icterus spurius. It has a very big family, Icteridae. My bird is a vertebrate. They are only common to live about 9 years and 7 months. The orioles are predators, and they are also prey at the same time.

Out of the whole state of Maine the orchard oriole is uncommon to be seen in the mountains, because it is too cold for them. They seem to be common in the coastal plain. Since the winters in Maine are so cold, they fly to warmer places such as Mexico, Central or South America, and the Caribbean. The phylum of the orchard oiole is Chordata.  The orchard oriole is part of an ecosystem because it interacts with other organisms in the community.

Habitat:

My bird (orchard oriole)  loves to be near the orchards and tall trees in all different shady places. The orchards are the oriole’s habitat. Some places where my bird goes and where they are common is East and North America, Southern Canada, Central New York, both North and South Florida, West Texas, Central Nebraska, West Kansas, South Mexico, North Colombia, and they only go to these places when winter comes in Maine. They are also not common in Massachusetts. They have a place in the wilderness which is a very huge place. The orchards have the most population of where the orioles are living. There is an interesting food chain that involves my animal. They eat insects. The eagle eats my bird, and a wolf eats the eagle.

When they go away in the winter they go to another hotter place, and live in tall trees. When they come back they make a nest here. They like to live in trees but they also hatch their eggs in there to keep their babies safe!

The family of orchard orioles makes their nest big enough so that they can be able to hatch at least 7 babies, while the adult birds are in the nest too. What they make their nest out of is a piney sticks, short and long sticks firmly attached to the very very high trees so that the nest will stay in place. 

Physical Description:

The physical description of my animal (orchard oriole) for the male birds are, black headed, and on the back they have red breast, wings, and a black tail. For the female birds they look like this, they have a greenish and grayish upper parts, and yellow underneaths. Which also they have wing bars. They are mammals too.

They are also warm-blooded animals. They are also about 6 to 7 inches long, and they weigh anywhere from .71 to .99 ounces, for the both male and the female birds, which is the average weight for my bird. There is no competition between the male and the female bird.
The males are more colorful than the other birds in your backyard that you can see.

Diet and Feeding Habits:

My animal in the summer time both male, and females, they eat fruits and berries. But mostly they like to eat all kinds of different insects too. Almost 90% of my bird they eat insects only because that what's around them in the winter time when they go to the Caribbean, and always near them so my bird doesn't need to make a huge sacrifice to find food. They are omnivores. Also ecology fits good in with my animal because, they eat insects that are in their same environment.

From when winter comes in Maine, my bird fly's south or in any hotter place other than Maine. The time they fly from where they are now in places so they can eat fruits and berries. They don't eat nothing instead of tropical kinds of food. When they are not in Maine. They are consumers by eating other animals in their own kind of community.

Present Status: The orchard orioles status in Maine is that it is a species of concern.

Bibliography:

Wild Profiles. April 3 2003. http://www.birdgifts.com/orchard_oriole.html. (April 6 2003.)

Watkins, Patricia et al. Life Science. orlando,Florida: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 1989.