Baltimore Oriole, common name applied to the eastern subspecies of the northern oriole. Males of the Baltimore oriole and of the western subspecies, Bullock's oriole, are strikingly different in color and pattern; the two were thought to be separate species until it was discovered that they interbreed freely where their ranges meet in the Great Plains region of North America. Their ranges extend south to Mexico and Central America, where the orioles spend the winter.

The adult male Baltimore oriole is 18 to 20 cm (7 to 8 in) long, with glossy black and brilliant orange plumage. These colors, which are not assumed until the male's second year, are the same as those of the livery of George Calvert, 1st Baron of Baltimore, in whose honor the bird was named. The female is slightly smaller and much less colorful, its plumage varying from greenish-yellow to dull orange, marked with dark brown. The nest is a hanging pouch of grass, strips of bark, and other natural vegetable matter, often mixed with artificial materials such as string. The nest is woven around the tip of a branch in a tall deciduous tree such as an elm or willow. The four to six eggs are white, irregularly scrawled with black or brown.

Scientific classification: Orioles belong to the family Icteridae. The Baltimore oriole is classified as Icterus galbula galbula, and the Bullock's oriole is classified as Icterus galbula bullockii.

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