Spot-breasted Orioles were first seen around 1948 in the Miami area. Their numbers grew to where they were fairly common. In 2010 we had freezing temperatures in South Florida, which killed large numbers of orioles as they don’t like cold weather. The numbers seem to be coming back which is a good thing.
These birds are native to Southern Mexico and south to Costa Rica. This is the second largest species of oriole seen in the U.S. with the Altamira Oriole being a little larger. The Miami area birds may have come from the cagebird trade. This is a species that many out-of-town birders love to see as it is a spectacular-looking bird!
