Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Icteridæ

ICTERIDÆ (ik-ter′ē-dē), a name for orioles; a family of Passeres, insessorial birds. The bill has the commissure angulated, with no notch; the primaries nine; the legs stout; the plumage usually brilliant; the notes sharp, often melodious, in other cases harsh. Subfamilies three, Agelainæ, Icterinæ, and Quiscalinæ. About 20 genera and 100 species are known, all American. The Baltimore oriole or hang-nest is the Icterus galbula. It is a favorite bird in the eastern part of North America and is a migratory bird, arriving in late spring and leaving again in midsummer or up to early fall. Its plumage is black and orange.