Altamira Oriole

Overview

Altamira Oriole: Largest North American oriole, bright yellow-orange body, black back, mask, bib, and tail. Bill is black. Wings are black with white bar and feather edges. Gray legs and feet. Feeds on caterpillars, insects, fruits, and berries. Swift, strong flight on rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Altamira Oriole: Native of Mexico; has small range in the southern tip of Texas. Preferred habitats include riparian woodlands, open woodlands, arid scrub, and mesquite in the lower Rio Grande Valley of southeastern Texas.

INTERESTING FACTS

Altamira orioles are seasonally monogamous and may be for life. They are almost always seen in pairs.
Their singing is described as being "a loud, musical, but hesitant series of whistles, reminiscent of an inexperienced human whistler."
They seem to prefer the northwest quadrants of trees, as 9 out of 10 nests observed have been built in that part of a tree's canopy.
A group of orioles are collectively known as a "pitch" and a "split" of orioles.

The Altamira Oriole species claims a fairly large range, reaching up to 560,000 square kilometers. Native to El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, the United States and Mexico, the Altamira Oriole has a global population estimated to be as much as 5 million individual birds. It is not believed that the Altamira Oriole will be in danger of decline in the near future. As a result of global populations, this species of bird has received an evaluation of Least Concern. This evaluation has been lowered from a previous Lower Risk evaluation in 2000.