An oriole bird is a medium-sized, brightly colored songbird with a long tail and a long, pointed bill. There are two types of orioles: Old World orioles and New World orioles. Old World orioles are in the family Oriolidae, whereas American orioles are in the same family as blackbirds. This answer will focus on New World orioles, which are a group of birds in the genus Icterus of the blackbird family. They are unrelated to Old World orioles, but they are strikingly similar in size, diet, behavior, and strongly contrasting plumage. The Baltimore oriole is a type of New World oriole that is common in eastern North America as a migratory breeding bird. The male Baltimore oriole has brilliant orange plumage that blazes from high branches like a torch, while the female is less brightly colored. Orioles build hanging, woven nests and prefer fruit and nectar as well as insects. The name "oriole" was first recorded by the German Dominican friar Albertus Magnus in about 1250, which he stated to be onomatopoeic, from the song of the European golden oriole.