Nothing marks the return of spring quite like the whistling song of the Baltimore Oriole. Male birds, being a stunning combination of orange and black with white wing bars, are unmistakable. Females are beautiful in their own way, featuring duller colors than the males while lacking a black hood and back.
Baltimore Orioles are the most commonly seen oriole in Kansas. And luckily, these birds are relatively easy to attract to your bird feeders, as long as you use the foods they enjoy eating.
Try using one of these strategies below:
Ripe fruit, such as bananas, cherries, grapes, or various berries. Orioles are attracted to the color orange, so putting out orange slices works best in my backyard.
Grape jelly, placed in a cup, is a treat that orioles find hard to resist. You may also see catbirds and woodpeckers sampling the jelly.
Similar to hummingbirds, Baltimore Orioles love drinking nectar from flowers. You can take advantage of this fact by setting out oriole-friendly nectar feeders at your bird feeding station.
Baltimore Orioles are often heard before being seen since they live so high up in trees. Listen for males to make a flutelike whistling noise while defending their breeding territory. Females also sing, but it’s shorter and used to communicate with her mate.
