New World Orioles

New World orioles are a group of birds in the genus Icterus of the blackbird family. Although they are not closely related to Old World orioles of the family Oriolidae, they are strikingly similar in size, diet, behavior, and strongly contrasting plumage. As a result, the two have been given the same vernacular name.

Males are typically black and vibrant yellow or orange with white markings, females and immature birds duller. They molt annually. New World orioles are generally slender with long tails and a pointed bill. They mainly eat insects, but also enjoy nectar and fruit. The nest is a woven, elongated pouch. Species nesting in areas with cold winters are strongly migratory, while subtropical and tropical species are more sedentary.

The name "oriole" was first recorded (in the Latin form oriolus) by the German Dominican friar Albertus Magnus in about 1250, which he erroneously stated to be onomatopoeic, from the song of the European golden oriole.

One of the species in the genus, Bahama oriole, is considered endangered, formerly critically endangered, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.