Rockabye Babies Orioles are back on their breeding grounds and people in northern areas are thrilled to welcome their brilliant colors and cheeerful music. As soon as orioles return, they begin the process of pairing up and building one of the most complicated nests in North America. Following the "nest-building blueprints" in their brains, they instinctively know how to build the perfect structure to hold the eggs they're about to lay. An oriole's intricately-woven, purse-shaped nest dangles in the outer twigs of a tall tree. Imagine living inside an egg inside a nest that often sways in the breeze—and then hatching out into that same gently rocking little world! Imagine you are an oriole. You can make a nest for yourself if you follow the instructions below. It's a lot of work! Fortunately, after your babies fledge, you're all done needing a crib for a whole year. And you'd better move out of the nest too. Find out why! It's all here: Build an Oriole Nest! Baltimore Oriole Eggs photo copyright by Todd Ratermann Once oriole babies hatch, they're hungry! Both parents feed them, coming to the nest a total of about 13 times an hour from sunrise to sunset. The babies grow from about 2 grams at hatching to about 34 grams when they fledge (leave the nest), 11 to 14 days later. See what oriole eggs look like, and find out what it may feel like to be a baby oriole inside an egg: Oriole Eggs and Babies Growing Up! Once the babies fledge, they have a lot to learn about the big world. Even one mistake can make it easier for a hawk to kill them. Most orioles never see their first birthday because too many things can kill them. But those that learn their lessons well can survive for as many as 11 years or more. What things must an oriole learn to survive? What important lesson do baby orioles learn when they're awake at night? Lots to Learn! Now you're ready to watch for these oriole events to occur in your hometown: Field Checklist: Orioles Try This! Journaling Questions After reading Oriole Eggs and Babies, you're ready for some questions. The average weight of an oriole egg is 2.99 grams. The average weight of the empty shell is 0.20 grams. 1. How much does all the "stuff" inside the egg weigh? 2. If a newly-hatched oriole weighs 2.00 grams, what do you think happened to the other 0.79 grams? Write your thoughts in your journal. 3. Let's assume it takes 12 days for a baby oriole to reach 34 grams in weight. If an 8-pound human baby gained weight at the same rate, how much would the human baby weigh in 12 days? How do your answers compare with ours? Copyright 2004 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form