Best Oriole Bird Feeders

This is an article highlighting the best Oriole bord feeders and tips for attracting these birds into your yard.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful birds in the United States, the male oriole has an orange-golden chest while it has black wings and a black head.

The female oriole is known for its skill of weaving, and it can weave a nest of 4 inches deep and 4 inches across. In some cases, it can take the oriole up to 12 days to construct the nest. At the start of the spring, some will migrate over 1,000 miles north to settle in a spot.

Top 7 Best Oriole Bird Feeders

How To Attract Orioles To Your Backyard

If you want to attract orioles to your area, your best bet would be if you were to start with it early on. In this way, they will build their nests nearby and close to a food source. Before setting down roots, they will first look for a food source using the best oriole bird feeders, which is why it is so important that you have this established right away.

You will want to put this out in the open so that they can see it while flying from overhead. In addition, you want to make sure that you have put out enough drinking ports for the bird. In many cases, you can attract both the hummingbird and the oriole with a hummingbird feeder because of how it isn’t uncommon for them to try the hummingbird feeder.

Some of the things that attract it to your yard include:

• Oranges
• Sugar water
• Grape jelly

Recipe to Attract Them

This will attract the hummingbirds as well, but you will take four-part boiled water, and you will take one-part sugar. To ensure that they keep coming back, you want to freshen it every week. For the days with hot weather, you will want to freshen it up every two days to ensure that they keep using it.

Even if it looks like it hasn’t lost a drop of nectar, you still want to freshen it up. It might be tempting but don’t use food coloring. This bird is attracted to the color orange, and that is why you might get a feeder specifically designed for them, which is orange.

Because they’re attracted to fruits like oranges, this could explain why the color orange especially catches their eye. Some of the other things that they have been known to feed on include:

• Cherries
• Bananas
• Grapes
• Berries

You could even slice an orange in half, and you would most likely get their attention.

Think Like a Bird

Even with the best oriole bird feeders, it won’t do much good if they can’t find it. Avoid putting the feeder under an awning or under a tree. Instead, you might put it out in the open where the birds will see it easily as they fly overhead. Especially when they come back from a migration, they might even build their nest nearby. You might sweeten the pot by adding a birdbath nearby. Choose one with a bubbler if you can. These birds especially love the sound of running water.

A birdbath can also help to attract birds that might not otherwise visit your feeders. This gives them a fresh supply of clean water, and it provides them with a place to bathe. They do this because it is essential that they maintain their feathers and keep them in good condition for flight. Baths maintain their feathers, and it loosens the dirt, which makes it easier for them to get it off.

Don’t Give Up

You may not attract these beautiful birds to your backyard in the first year. In some cases, it can take you multiple years to get them to come nearby. Switch up your feeding places if it doesn’t work in the first year. Not to mention, it may take some time before you start to attract a large following of them.

Use Flowers

To attract these birds to the best oriole bird feeders, you can also add flowers that will attract them. Some of the flowers that these birds tend to love include:

• Honeysuckle
• Bee balm
• Mandevilla
• Cardinal flower

These flowers will attract your target, and they might attract others.

Doing things like this will bring these birds back to your backyard year after year. It can take some time to master how to get them to come, but you shouldn’t give up on it. Instead, change your approach a little with an experiment each year to determine what works the best when it comes to bringing them to your yard. Bird watching has built a following over the years because of how they can be fascinating to watch.

Oriole Fun Facts

There are ten oriole species in North America. Of these, eight can be found in the United States although three species have very limited ranges. The Spot-breasted Oriole was introduced or escaped into southeastern Florida in the 1940s and continues to thrive there. The Spot-breasted and the Altamira species are the only ones in which the male and females have similar coloring.

The Altamira Oriole and Audubon’s Oriole are found only along the Rio Grande in the southernmost part of Texas. The Baltimore Oriole has an extensive range from Ontario to Florida, mostly in the eastern United States. The Orchard Oriole is found in the same area, although more commonly in the South. Hooded and Bulloch’s varieties have their ranges in the western part of the United States.

Some of the most colorful birds also sing beautifully. For instance, the cardinal has a musical repertoire that is a joy to hear. The oriole’s songs are also musical and they are welcome guests in most yards with their brilliant yellow and orange hues.

But how can you make your yard more attractive to these birds?

1. Set out Food Early in the Spring

The birds will be looking for food as soon as they arrive from their winter vacation in Central America. Migration builds up an appetite. They will need the sugary foods in the spring when they return to replace the stores they used in flying. Later the mealworm will serve as a major protein source.

In the South, you can expect them to show up between the end of March and the middle of April. They’ll be home later in the North sometime between mid-April and mid-May.

2. Sugary Foods in the Spring

All varieties of oriole love sweet foods. They aren’t interested in seed, but you may find them at your hummingbird feeder. They love oranges and sweet citrus fruits. Cut an orange in half and firmly transfix the halves on branches so they can be seen. Change out the fruit every day or two.

They also are exceedingly fond of grape jelly and grapes. Put the jelly – preferably organic or no sugar added types – in a shallow dish. Clean the dish and put out fresh jelly every day.

Nectar is another favorite. Make your own nectar, one part sugar to six parts water.

3. Protein in the summer

Fresh, dried, or frozen mealworms provide a good source of protein. These birds are omnivores, eating both plants and insects.

4. Use Oriole Feeders

Orioles appreciate the best oriole bird feeders made especially for them. They will try to drink out of your hummingbird feeder, but their beaks are too large to get more than a sip. Nectar feeders made for orioles can be found in stores that specialize in wild bird feed and online. Other feeders are designed to hold orange halves and jelly pans. Be sure your feeders have perches on them to make it easy for the birds to hang on.

5. Preferred Oriole Habitats

Each type has a different preference for habitats, but there are similarities. In general, they seem to prefer open forest, the banks of rivers, marshlands. They can also be found in towns and cities, especially in parks and orchards. If you have fruit trees in your yard, they may settle in. They love berries as well.

A yard full of trees will be attractive to an oriole. Oaks, maples, elms, juniper, and cottonwoods are some of their favorite nesting spots. They will ignore birdhouses. They often build their unique hanging basket nests in palm trees and yucca plants in the desert and semi-tropical environments.

6. Flowing Water

All species are attracted to running water. They love birdbaths with a shallow dish. A birdbath with a bubbler or small fountain is perfect. They need water, especially those in desert habitats.

7. Add Bright Orange and Yellow Colors

These orange and yellow birds are drawn to vibrant colors, especially orange. Plant orange flowers. Use an orange oriole feeder. Tie bright orange ribbons in your bushes and trees where they can be seen from the sky.

8. Red Tubular Flowers Appeal to Them

They love nectar and visit many of the same flowers that attract hummingbirds although hummingbirds prefer red to orange. Columbine, petunias, honeysuckle, and bleeding hearts are a few of the nectar-producing flowers that they enjoy. Plant these flowers close to the orange blooms to make sure the birds find them.

Attracting these brilliantly hued, but shy birds to your yard requires more effort than with most birds. You have to cater to your feathered guests and pamper them. But they are worth the effort. The joy of watching and listening to them will compensate for your time. And they are very loyal. They’ll be there for you year after year to bring rays of golden sunshine into your life.

FAQs About Orioles

There are many kinds of orioles found in North America. They’re part of a family of birds called icterids, and what they all have in common is the bold color patterns of the males. This can be seen in the contrast between the brilliant orange body and rump of the Baltimore oriole and its black head and black and white wings and tail. Juveniles and females are a bit drab.

Some people find the oriole challenging to attract to the back yard, even when using the best oriole bird feeders, so here are some frequently asked questions to help a homeowner lure in these fascinating birds:

What Kind Of Seeds Do Orioles Prefer?

The oriole doesn’t really go in much for seeds. It loves insects and arachnids, including mealworms, wasps and spiders. It will compete with hummingbirds for sugar water. It’s also partial to flowers and flower buds, peas, bread, kitchen leavings and suet mixed with peanut butter and fruits. It enjoys fruits on its own and is mad for oranges. The oriole is even more enthusiastic about grape jelly.

Different oriole species and individual birds have their own preferences, so it’s a good idea to put out a mixture of foods and use the best oriole bird feeders.

Another thing about the oriole is that it not only loves orange fruit but loves orange as a color. One tip is to buy a feeder that has orange somewhere on it, especially the roof so the birds can see it as they fly over.

Do I Need To Clean My Oriole Bird Feeder And How Do I Do It?

Since these birds are so attracted to sweets, cleaning often is a must. The best oriole bird feeders will be easier to clean than inferior feeders. Sometimes all an oriole needs is to have its grape jelly fix offered up in a hollowed-out orange that can be thrown out after it’s done. Put the orange half in a dish of water to keep ants away, or impale it on a tree branch. The jelly can simply be put in a dish, again in a larger dish half-filled with water, that can be put in the dishwasher or hand-washed after the meal is gone.

Here’s how to clean out a hummingbird/oriole feeder:

• First, take it down and empty it of any leftover sugar water.
• Take it apart.
• Put it in a solution of mild dishwashing soap and hot water, and let it soak.
• Make sure to scrub away any sugar water residue and mold.
• Rinse the feeder with cold water.
• Let it dry completely before refilling it and putting it back out.

If the homeowner is going to let hummingbirds and their oriole friends share a feeder, they should install a perch on the feeder to accommodate the oriole. An oriole can’t hover like a hummingbird.

Should I Stop Feeding Orioles During The Summer Or Winter?

If the only bird the homeowner is interested in attracting is the oriole, then they might taper off feeding starting in late summer. The end of July is when the female has raised her brood and goes away. The males stay until the middle of September. But since a person who loves the Oriole, no doubt wants to attract other birds, some of whom stay all year, there’s no reason to stop putting out all of the food. An exception may be the grape jelly.

How Can I Keep Squirrels Off My Oriole Bird Feeders?

When it comes to pilfering food, squirrels are ingenious. Even the best oriole bird feeders are not 100% squirrel proof, as there is no perfectly deer-proof vegetable garden. However, there are ways that squirrels can be discouraged.

• Place the feeder five feet from the ground and seven feet from the nearest tree or building. If the feeder must be put under a tree, make sure the lowest branches are over 9 feet above the feeder’s roof.
• Don’t bother to put the feeder on a pole in the first place, but hang it on a wire five feet from the ground, which is too high for the squirrel to jump. Install two plastic soda bottles on either side of the feeder so the squirrel rolls off as it tries to get to the food.
• Since the squirrel will probably try to climb anyway, install a squirrel baffle to the pole that supports the feeder. For devilry, some people attach a slinky to the pole. This sends the squirrel to the ground every single time it tries to climb.
• Use peppery suet. An oriole can’t taste pepper put on suet, but squirrels can. The homeowner can add the pepper themselves or buy suet with pepper.

Should I Offer Orioles Water Via A Birdbath?

Again, if the homeowner is only interested in attracting the oriole, a birdbath isn’t much of an attraction for this bird. However, other birds love a bath and a drink of fresh water, so install a birdbath anyway.

Related Bird Feeder Articles:

• Bird feeders for Woodpeckers
• Cardinals
• Finch bird feeders

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