The beautiful Oriole is the smallest bird in Europe

Oriolus oriolus is a passerine bird found in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere.

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Yellow-crested Sandpiper – Europe’s Smallest Bird

In summer, orioles migrate to Europe and Western Asia, and in winter they are present in central and southern Africa. With a large range and stable population, they are considered a bird of less concern than other birds.

Black-naped oriole, thin-beaked orchid, black-tipped oriole, red orchid

Habitat

Orioles can live in many different environments. In Western Europe they like open forests and plantations, riverside forests, orchards… But in Eastern Europe they can live in continuous forests without changing location much. .

Describe

The male oriole stands out with its plumage with two black colors on the wings and tail, the rest of the body is yellow, in addition there is a black streak behind the eye, the beak is dark red and the stork’s legs are dark gray. The female bird has green plumage. They are shy birds and even the male and female are difficult to see as they hide on tree branches with green and yellow leaves.

They have quite beautiful songs and are not easily confused by other birds. They often have the habit of migrating to other areas at night, but in the spring they can move during the day. During the migration season, they often stop by croplands to eat fruit, and it is this behavior that orioles are considered pests by people.

Orioles have a body length of about 20 to 30cm, a wingspan of about 46cm and a weight of about 68g. They eat mainly insects and fruit, using their strong beak to remove insects from cracks in tree bark.

Reproduction

The breeding season usually starts in April every year. At this time, the male birds will usually arrive at the breeding area a few days before the female birds. And orioles usually start breeding in their 2nd or 3rd year.

Nests are often made hanging from small horizontal branches on trees. The nest is made by the female, but the male sometimes also collects materials to help the female. The nest is secured with plant fibers about 40cm long, and the inside is lined with grass and feathers.

The mother bird will lay an egg early in the morning every day and will lay 3 to 5 eggs. Incubation time is about 16 to 17 days and this job is usually done by the male bird. After hatching, the baby bird will be cherished by the mother bird and the male bird will be responsible for bringing food home. The time the young birds stay in the nest is about 14 days.