Altamira Oriole perched near the Acacia Loop feeder inside Bentsen RGV State Park.

Hooded Oriole perched on Honey Mesquite near Bentsen RGV State Park headquarters. It has been singing for a mate.

We have two oriole species that regularly breed in the Bentsen Palm area.  The Altamira Oriole is a year-round resident of the area and is plentiful in the dense subtropical thorn forest that covers most of Bentsen RGV State Park south of the levee.  They are easy to find and in my opinion have the most beautiful song of any oriole seen in the United States.  The Hooded Oriole migrates to our area in the summer to nest and raise young and seems to prefer a more open habitat.  It is seen near the State Park Headquarters north of the levee, and in Retama Village and Bentsen Palm Village RV Park.  We often see one near the wall at the southwest corner of Retama Village and it makes us wonder if it will build a nest in the nearby palm trees.  Hooded Orioles also regularly visit the feeders and the coral bean trees in our development.

The Hooded and Altamira Oriole males are similar in appearance – both a showy bright orange with black wings and black on the face.  They can be distinguished by a white versus orange wing patch at the shoulder (the Altamira Oriole has an orange patch), and the amount of black on the face.  In the Hooded Oriole, the black is more extensive, covering more of the sides of the face and throat, above the bill, and extending further down the breast.  The Altamira Oriole has black mostly on the chin and throat with a little black triangles extending from the sides of the bill to cover just the eyes.  The Altamira Oriole female resembles the male, whereas the Hooded Oriole female is a mostly yellow bird with gray wings and faint white wing bars.

The Altamira Oriole builds showy long pendulous nests woven out of plant fibers and lichens that can be seen high in large deciduous trees within the State Park.  This is the longest nest made by any North American bird.   In late April and May you might observe them building a nest within the State Park.  The Hooded Oriole nest is also woven from plant fibers, but is a short cup usually well hidden as it is often discretely constructed on the underside a palm frond.  The oriole female actually punches holes through the palm frond from underneath to sew the nest to the leaf.  Last year we were shown a nest that was hidden under one of the lower fronds of a Sable Palm located just outside the Park Visitor Center.

More about Hooded Orioles.  More about Altamira Orioles.  Both links have sound recordings that will play the bird calls and song.

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Bentsen Palm Nature Blog is edited by Audrey Harvey.  Photographs by John Rosford.