Bullock’s orioles are seasonally monogamous, forming pair bonds that last for a single breeding season (Rising and Williams 1999).
Mating System: monogamous
Males arrive at the breeding ground approximately two weeks before females. Breeding begins in May and continues until mid July. The breeding season varies geographically and tends to begin and end later in the west and in northern latitudes (Jaramillo and Burke 1999; Harrison 1978; Rising and Williams 1999).
Bullock’s oriole nests are deep, pensile structures and are usually suspended on the outer branches of a tree (Harrison 1978). Nests are on average 6 inches (15 cm) deep and 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter, the walls of which are approximately 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) thick (Bent 1958). The nest opening is contracted and oval-shaped (Bent 1958). The nest is constructed primarily of plant fiber, especially flax fiber, oat stalks, and the interior bark of willow and juniper trees; horsehair and twine are also used when the nest is built near human developments. The nest is lined with plant down, wool, hair, and moss (Bent 1958; Harrison 1978). Both male and female have been observed to participate in nest construction, though normally only the female weaves the nest (Bent 1958). Nests are abandoned at the end of the breeding season and are not reused (Sibley 2000).
Eggs are laid in clutches of 3 to 6, with clutches of 4 or 5 eggs being the most common (Harrison 1978; Sibley 2000). The eggs themselves are small, approximately 2.5 cm long by 1.5 cm in diameter. Nest size is variable, and according to Schaefer (1976), nests range in depth from 10 cm to 38 cm. Eggs are whitish with dark purple or brown scrawling patterns near the wide end of the egg (Harrison 1978).
Breeding interval: Bullock's orioles breed once yearly.
Breeding season: Bullock's orioles breed from May through July.
Range eggs per season: 3 to 6.
Average eggs per season: 4.
Average time to hatching: 2 weeks.
Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
Only the female incubates the eggs, which hatch after approximately two weeks (Harrison 1978). Nestlings are altricial: they are entirely reliant on parental care for their survival (Sibley 2000). Both sexes care for the young, providing them with food as well as defending the nest from predators (Bent 1958).
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female)