Hooded Oriole Icterus cucullatus Swainson       Field Guide IDs: NG-442; G-304; PW-pl 53; AE-pl 398; AW-pl 447; AM(III)-308 Nest Location Nest Type Eggs & Mating System Dev. & Parental Care Primary & 2ndary Diet.. Foraging Strategy F I: 12-14 DAYS ALTRICIAL PALM YUCCA 12 feet - 45 feet MF? 3-4 (3-5) MONOG? F: 14 DAYS MF FRUIT NECTAR HAWKS BREEDING: Riparian woodland, palm groves, mesquite, arid scrub, decid woodland, around human habitation. 2, occ 3 broods. DISPLAYS: Courtship: on elevated perch, male performs series of exaggerated bows toward female as he approaches, then hops around her singing softly and posturing with head pointed skyward, bill open; female may respond with similar posture. NEST: Suspended from twigs, or woven through overhanging leaves of palm or palmetto; woven of wiry green grass blades or shredded palm or yucca fibers, unlined or lined with plant down. Built in 3-4 days. If suspended from palm, nest opening on side. EGGS: Dull white, marked with browns, purples, grays. 0.9" (22 mm). DIET: Insects; nectar, fruit. CONSERVATION: Winters from n Mexico s to Oaxaca. Frequent Bronzed Cowbird host. Range expanding northward in CA, likely due to extensive plantings of palms and flower-bearing ornamentals. NOTES: Generally an "illegitimate" visitor to flowers -- obtains nectar by piercing base of flower without pollinating. Young fed by regurgitation for 4-5 days. STANFORD. NOTES: Uncommon and local migrant and summer resident, nesting almost exclusively in fan palms. Often observed near such palms inside the Main Quad and in the faculty housing area (e.g., Frenchman's Road). ESSAYS: Masterbuilders; Bird Badges; Taxonomy and Nomenclature; Cowbirds; Range Expansion REFERENCES: Orians, 1985.