The Hooded Oriole gets its name from the dazzling orange-yellow coloring in the male. It winters in the south of Mexico, even Central America, and comes northward to spend spring and summer in our shrubs and trees. It finds its way into a lot of suburbs, and for many people who are just getting into birds, the Hooded Oriole is one of those that give novices their first real Wow. There's probably a lot of that happening right now, as the Hooded Oriole is in full migration right now. Check out the maps below to see their progress (photo by Dawn Beattie):

Here's a look at the February eBird map. A little action in the south, but not much happening:

And then at the end of March, more numbers, starting to pile up in the south:

And now in mid-April: