Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.

These colorful blackbirds – for that’s what orioles actually are (more on that below) – breed here in Sonoma County, with both the male and female taking turns on the nest. In early May, I encountered a male who took time out from his brooding shift to let me know I wasn’t welcome. He flew from the nest to a nearby oak branch and scolded me, his spirit as fiery as his coloring.

The Bullock’s oriole is sometimes characterized as a western riff on its more famous, eastern cousin, the Baltimore oriole. In fact, from 1983-1995, they were considered the same species (called the Northern oriole). By the mid-90s, however, researchers had amassed an abundance of genetic and physiological evidence showing the birds to be distinct species, albeit ones that occasionally hybridize.

The Bullock’s oriole, like its cousin, is named for an Englishman. William Bullock was a goldsmith, jeweler, amateur naturalist, and enthusiastic collector. He sounds like an interesting chap, but he doesn’t really have much of anything to do with this North American blackbird. I hope Icterus bullockii will soon receive names – both common *and* scientific – that are more descriptive, more reflective of this marvelous bird’s appearance, habits, or habitats. Speaking of names, the Bullock’s oriole is actually a member of the blackbird family (Icteridae). Based on their colors and behavior, many New World blackbirds were (understandably, but) incorrectly lumped into the Old World bird family Oriolidae by early taxonomists. Now that we know they’re *not* related (their similarities are due to convergent evolution), perhaps we could update that part of the common name, too?

Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).

Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.