One of the major aspects of the city of Baltimore that is loved by and supported by the population is their professional baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles. In fact, the Orioles are sure to have fans all across the state of Baltimore. Even some of the tourists who visit the city and stay in one of the Baltimore luxury hotels may be fans. One thing however, that they may find interesting regardless of whether or not they like baseball and the city’s Major League team is that the Baltimore Oriole is also the Maryland state bird. It is a logical and accurate assumption that the baseball team was also named after the state bird.

The Baltimore Oriole is similar in coloring to other Oriole species and the male is easily recognized by his distinctive orange shoulders, underside and rump area. The rest of the male is black. The female also has orange though hers is confined to a dull, or lighter orange on the breast. Her head is black and her wings are darker, usually a black and white. The male can usually be identified before he is even seen by his unique and loud fluty song whistle.

The Baltimore Oriole is a forage eater and will make short speedy flights to capture and eat insects. It is generally scene looking for its food in trees and shrubbery. Nectar, berries and insects compose the largest part of its diet and they can frequently be seen at hummingbird feeders sipping on the sweet treat. There are actually Oriole specific feeders that are extremely similar in design to the hummingbird feeder though they are different color and have larger perches. It is understood that the color change was not made at the request of either bird species, but a human preference. Interestingly, the birds also enjoy grape jelly, and less unique they appreciate halved oranges. This does not contribute to the male belly’s coloring.

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