Species · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Orchard Oriole

Icteridae Forest birdsIcterus spurius

Orchard Oriole has fallen sharply: down 57% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

-57%Since 1968

2,334Routes

58Years Surveyed

About the Orchard Oriole

The Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) is a North American member of the Blackbirds & Orioles (Icteridae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.

Size: 6.5–17 in long (16–43 cm) — a small to medium songbird (typical for the family)
Habitat: Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
Diet: Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
Range: Recorded on 2,334 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 41 states, most concentrated in the Southeastern Coastal Plain.
Family: Icteridae · Forest birds

Notable Orchard Oriole Trends

long arc declinecomputed index

Orchard Oriole has fallen sharply in surveyed states: down 57% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

Orchard Oriole Population Forecast

If the recent trend holds, Orchard Oriole is projected to fall about 18% by 2029 — from 1.4 in 2024 to a central estimate of 1.1 (95% range 0.52–1.7). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±14.9%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.

-18%Change by 2029

1.1Projected 2029 index

0.52–1.795% range

±14.9%Backtest error

Projection of the recent trend (dashed) with 80/95% bands — a projection, not a prediction. Habitat, climate, and land use are not modeled.

Year	Projected index	95% low	95% high
2025	1.2	0.60	1.8
2026	1.2	0.58	1.8
2027	1.2	0.56	1.8
2028	1.1	0.54	1.7
2029	1.1	0.52	1.7

Where the Orchard Oriole Is Detected

BBS routes recording Orchard Oriole, sized by most recent count.

Orchard Oriole Population Trend by State

Orchard Oriole population trend by state.

Alabama	-63%	1968	108
Arkansas	-79%	1969	56
Colorado	-8%	1974	42
Connecticut	+25%	1969	15
Delaware	+224%	1968	17
Florida	-79%	1968	57
Georgia	-44%	1968	108
Illinois	+86%	1968	97
Indiana	+69%	1968	61
Iowa	+189%	1969	37
Kansas	-49%	1969	67
Kentucky	-64%	1968	64
Louisiana	-46%	1969	96
Maine	insufficient data	n/a	3
Maryland	+114%	1968	76
Massachusetts	+93%	1979	18
Michigan	+214%	1973	33
Minnesota	+662%	1974	46
Mississippi	-49%	1968	73
Missouri	-26%	1969	92
Montana	+727%	1984	32
Nebraska	+368%	1969	74
New Hampshire	+36%	2003	3
New Jersey	+4%	1968	37
New Mexico	insufficient data	n/a	6
New York	+629%	1971	50
North Carolina	-31%	1968	102
North Dakota	+798%	1969	51
Ohio	+377%	1968	84
Oklahoma	-80%	1969	64
Pennsylvania	+252%	1968	103
Rhode Island	insufficient data	n/a	4
South Carolina	-64%	1968	51
South Dakota	+22%	1969	52
Tennessee	-58%	1968	51
Texas	-80%	1969	197
Vermont	insufficient data	n/a	1
Virginia	+62%	1968	74
West Virginia	+13%	1968	58
Wisconsin	23×	1968	54
Wyoming	-10%	1975	20

Orchard Oriole Population Trend by Region

Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.

Orchard Oriole population trend by Bird Conservation Region.

Prairie Potholes	+186%	1969	108
Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain	+837%	1971	47
Badlands and Prairies	+12%	1969	83
Shortgrass Prairie	+36%	1969	89
Central Mixed Grass Prairie	-15%	1969	121
Edwards Plateau	-87%	1969	20
Oaks and Prairies	-92%	1969	70
Eastern Tallgrass Prairie	+41%	1968	262
Prairie Hardwood Transition	16×	1968	119
Central Hardwoods	-71%	1968	163
West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas	-68%	1969	107
Mississippi Alluvial Valley	-67%	1968	69
Southeastern Coastal Plain	-51%	1968	338
Appalachian Mountains	-47%	1968	322
Piedmont	+10%	1968	164
New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast	+50%	1968	138
Peninsular Florida	-69%	1968	16
Chihuahuan Desert	-2%	1969	21
Tamaulipan Brushlands	-68%	1969	24
Gulf Coastal Prairie	-58%	1969	36

Orchard Oriole Conservation Status

Our route-weighted index shows it down about 57% since 1968.

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.