Orange Birds in North America

North America hosts dozens of bird species with orange plumage, from the brilliant Baltimore Oriole to the copper-toned Rufous Hummingbird. This guide covers the major groups, where they live, and how to attract them.

Major Orange Bird Groups

Group	Key species	Range	Best feature
Orioles	Baltimore, Bullock’s, Orchard, Scott’s, Hooded	Continent-wide	Bright orange and black, hanging nests
Tanagers	Western, Scarlet, Summer, Hepatic	Varies by species	Orange-red males, forest dwellers
Hummingbirds	Rufous, Allen’s	Western North America	Copper-orange males, tiny and fierce
Grosbeaks	Black-headed	Western North America	Orange breast, heavy seed-cracking bill
Robins & Thrushes	American Robin, Varied Thrush	Continent-wide	Orange-red breast, familiar garden bird
Warblers	American Redstart, Blackburnian	Eastern North America	Orange patches or throat
Woodpeckers	Northern Flicker	Continent-wide	Orange or yellow under wings
Raptors	American Kestrel	Continent-wide	Rusty-orange back and tail

Orioles of North America

Species	Range	Orange feature
Baltimore Oriole	Eastern North America	Bright orange body, black head
Bullock’s Oriole	Western North America	Orange face and underparts
Orchard Oriole	Eastern North America	Deep rusty-orange (male)
Scott’s Oriole	Southwest US, Mexico	Orange-yellow underparts
Hooded Oriole	Southwest US, Mexico	Orange body, black face
Altamira Oriole	South Texas, Mexico	Bright orange, largest oriole
Streak-backed Oriole	Mexico, rare in US	Orange with streaked back

Where to See Orange Birds by Region

Region	Top species	Best time
Northeast	Baltimore Oriole, Scarlet Tanager, American Redstart	May-August
Southeast	Summer Tanager, Painted Bunting, Orchard Oriole	April-September
Midwest	Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole, American Robin	May-August
Southwest	Hepatic Tanager, Scott’s Oriole, Hooded Oriole	April-September
Mountain West	Western Tanager, Bullock’s Oriole, Rufous Hummingbird	May-August
Pacific Coast	Allen’s Hummingbird, Bullock’s Oriole, Varied Thrush	Year-round to summer

How to Attract Orange Birds

Method	Target species
Grape jelly	Baltimore Oriole, Bullock’s Oriole
Orange halves	Orioles, tanagers
Nectar feeders	Hummingbirds, orioles
Mealworms	Robins, tanagers
Berry-producing plants	Tanagers, robins, waxwings
Sunflower seeds	Grosbeaks, towhees

Baltimore and Bullock’s Orioles were once considered the same species - the “Northern Oriole” - but were split in 1995. They still hybridise where their ranges overlap in the Great Plains. Grape jelly and orange halves are the easiest way to attract orioles to your garden.