This southern oriole is most likely to be found in Ontario at Pelee, or elsewhere along Lake Erie shores. It is quite rare elsewhere in Ontario. (Miles note: This article was first published in 1985. Orchard Orioles now nest regularly in the Toronto area in spring)

They winter in Central America and northern South America.

Adult males are brick red, or chestnut, not orange in body plumage, with an all black tail.

Young males are yellowish green with a prominent black throat patch.

Females look like the young males but lack the throat patch:

They are coloured somewhat like female Scarlet Tanagers but have a more pointed bill and have white wing bars.

The song is longer than that of the Baltimore Oriole and lacks the loud, sweet whistles of that species.

When I heard an immature male at Lowbanks, near Lake Erie, on May 22, 1937, I wrote down its song as “chee-chee hee-chee he-che-che hee-chee ha-brrr-chee-oo”. The somewhat buzzy, descending ending is characteristic.

Dr. J. Murray Speirs