5 Tips to Attracting Orioles into your Yard

One of the first questions we ask customers who come in our shop hoping to attract orioles is whether they've seen them in their area before.  If they answer "no", we usually suggest they watch for them and pick up a feeder when they know they have the proper habitat for orioles.

If they say "yes, I saw them last year" or "yes, I've seen their unmistakable pendulous nest in a nearby tree", we then encourage them to try an oriole feeder.

If you can answer "yes" to my question, here are my top 5 tips for attracting orioles into your yard.

1)  Have the oriole feeder up and ready BEFORE they arrive.
In our area of east central New York state, that means putting out an oriole feeder near the beginning of May.

2)  Hang the feeder so it's visible from the treetops.
Orioles are treetop birds, so make sure you hang your oriole feeder where they would be most likely to see it from their perches at the top of deciduous trees.

3)  Offer fruit.
Oranges are the easiest food to offer orioles at a birdfeeder.  Cut them in half so the insides are up.
You can also offer grape jelly.  Orioles have a sweet tooth and will eat mounds of grape jelly daily.  Don't make the jelly pile too deep, just in case some other smaller bird with a sweet tooth gets into it.

4)  Offer mealworms.
Orioles eat insects, especially tent caterpillars, and will eat live mealworms offered in a birdfeeder.

5)  Offer nectar.
Orioles will lap up nectar, but because of the size of their bill, it needs to be in a specialty oriole feeder that has ports bigger than those on a hummingbird feeder.
The nectar concentration is weaker too, 8-to-1 instead of the hummingbird nectar ratio of 4-to-1.  Check out the nectar recipe page on our website.

At our Wild Birds Unlimited shop, we have a number of oriole feeders for providing these foods. Or check out our online store.

So, get those feeders out and watch for that stunning flash of orange and black of the beautiful male oriole!

Photo credits: 
Image 1 & 2 - WBU Inc. image library
Image 3 - Mary Foss Bullard, WBU-Saratoga's Fan PIC of the YEAR 2012.

Comments

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

David, there are orioles in your area but it is probably a matter of habitat that keeps them from visiting your 7th story feeder.
I would say keep your eyes peeled for orioles and if you see them, then start offering oranges, jelly, etc. in late April.

[David McKim Reich]

Do orioles cross the Potomac into Virginia? I have not seen one around Falls Church. I live on the 7th floor with a nice balcony. I have attracted finches, woodpeckers, sparrows, cardinals, cowbirds, catbirds, nuthatches, chickadees, titmice and hummingbirds.

I want the orioles. Should I give up, or will they venture south and west over the river?

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Barbara, the answers to both your questions are hard to pin down, and depend on the availability of natural food supplies.
An early spring feeder filled with oranges, jelly, and live mealworms may attract an oriole before their natural foods are widely available. And they may initially hit the feeder hard at the end of a migratory journey. Then they may taper off or stop completely.
But some individual orioles may like the convenience and use the feeder longer into the season, even after insects and fruits are widely available, or when they're keeping up with food for a nestful of young.
Good luck and enjoy the orioles!

[Barbara Upham]

how often do baltimore orioles come to a feeding station to feed? and for how long? we set out oriole nectar, grape jelly, orange and apple halves. we see them at the feeding station periodically for about two weeks and then nothing. we would like to know how often they feed so we can be sure to see more of them since it is only for a short time.

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

David, they are deciduous treetop birds, but hey, you never know! Give it a try and let us know.

[David Linsley]

Will they feed from a feeder hanging from my 2nd story gutters with no trees just bushes ?

[Teresa Jones]

I have a hummingbird feeder but only one hummingbird feeds because she stands guard & chases other hummingbirds away. I had 2 feeders out before but they never went to the other feeder just the one & she still chases the others away. Is there a remedy for this? We have lots of hummingbirds.

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Nancy, orioles are more often seen in the treetops of deciduous trees. So I'd move the feeder to the farthest out branches of a deciduous tree so it can be more easily found. Be patient, sometimes it take awhile for them to find the feeder. Good luck!

[nancy]

I have my Oriole feeder oin a pine tree. Should it be in the open? We have a butterfly bush and have had the moth that looks like a hummingbird. I actually filmed his moth flying around the butterfly bush.

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Steve, that is very common with offering food for the orioles. Once natural food sources become more available, they will often choose those instead and not use feeders anymore. Keep what you have out there freshened and maybe try offering live mealworms.

[Steve Syring]

For the past couple of years, I've been able to draw the Orioles in with nectar and oranges. I have not been successful in keeping them around for very long. Any suggestions?

Thank you,

Steve

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Robin - if you can put that hanger near the end of a tree limb that won't bear the weight of a raccoon, that might do the trick.

[Robin R Robinson]

Nice post, very helpful. Now, if only I could keep the racoons from being attracted to the same food items!