Backyard Chirper

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Tips to help attract orioles to your backyard

Bullock's Oriole

From their ebullient colors to their mellifluous songs, orioles are among the most prized and cherished backyard birds. Orioles are found across America in a range of different species, such as Baltimore Orioles, Bullock’s Orioles, Hooded Orioles, Orchard Orioles or others. However, they all have one thing in common: They’re more than willing to venture into your backyard.

If you’re interested in bringing these beautiful birds to your yard, here are some tips.

Provide food like oranges and jelly

Orioles don’t eat from seed feeders like most birds. They prefer foods that are much sweeter, like fruits, jelly, nectar and flowers. Getting an oriole feeder like the Bird’s Choice Oriole Feeder allows you to easily put orange slices and grape jelly for orioles to eat. Since the food goes bad quicker, it’s important to clean the feeder often.

Hooded Oriole

Orioles have been known to eat mealworms and occasionally from hummingbird feeders as well.

Another more long-term method to get orioles in your yard is to plant fruit trees bushes with berries.

Get a bird bath

Just like all birds, the key to attracting orioles is to have a water source. Offering a simple bird bath is enough to lure the orange, yellow and black birds into your yard.

Make sure your yard is safe and has cover

Another quality that orioles appreciate is safety. Providing a bushy area with a lot of natural cover will help orioles feel more comfortable in your yard, and they will therefore feel more compelled to eat from your feeders.

Have bright colors in your yard

Whether you’re hanging strips of orange ribbon on the oriole feeder or planting brightly colored flowers, orioles are more likely to come to your yard if they see colors.

Orchard Oriole

Be patient

It’s important to give the notoriously shy orioles some time to find your feeders and venture into your yard. Some orioles have specific preferences. For example, they might be more inclined to eat pears or drink from hummingbird feeders than eat jelly.

Please share any helpful tips you might have found by commenting below.

Timothy Martinez Jr. is a writer and freelance journalist. His work has been published in The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, Remapping Debate in New York City and other publications. He’s been a bird lover since he was young and currently lives in New Orleans, L.A.

6 Comments

  1. A Cardinal couple has taken over my feeders. I use to have squrriles & Blue Jays & all kind tiny brown birds, all yr round. Now only the cardinal couple here. Have they scared everyone, even squrriles away. Will any come back?

  2. We just had 2 cardinal males attacking (or something) a small grayish bird. All near statue & hanging feeders. Daughter appearing from around the corner scared off the cardinals. The little bird hopped about 20ft to a stand of trees. Son in law said they were breeding. Little didnt sound happy & why 2 males after it?

  3. We have these beautiful birds everyou spring in Michigan at our hummingbird feeders then occasionally in the summer.

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