The orchard oriole (Icterus spurius), the smallest of North America’s orioles, is named for its historic preference for nesting in orchards on family farms. The male is predominately chestnut, whereas females and juveniles of both sexes look very different, with olive and yellow plumage. The subspecies of the Caribbean coast of Mexico, Icterus spurius fuertesi, is sometimes considered a separate species, the ochre oriole or Fuertes's oriole. The orchard oriole often sings when flying, and produces a wide variety of vocalisations, including whistles and warbles. Its species name, spurious, means illegitimate in Latin, probably because of its resemblance to the Northern oriole in early descriptions.
