The English word oriole is derived from the Latin aurum, or gold. It’s a popular name, applied to more than 30 species in the blackbird family (Icteridae) and to about 25 species in the unrelated oriole family of the Old World (Oriolidae). Most orioles, in both families, do wear shades of golden yellow or orange. An exception is the Orchard Oriole of eastern and central North America. Females and young are dull greenish yellow, and adult males are rich, deep chestnut and black.
Orchard Oriole is the smallest of the New World orioles, averaging only about seven inches long. Once, while leading a field trip, I found a dead female on the ground. I asked members of the group to name the species. No one guessed it was an oriole. Most thought it was a warbler, reflecting just how small the bird is.
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