Orange-crowned Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Leiothlypis celata
At a Glance
One of the plainest of warblers, the orange feathers on its head almost never visible, this species is also among the most hardy. In winter, when most warblers are deep in the tropics, Orange-crowns are common in the southern states. They are usually seen singly, sometimes loosely associated with flocks of other birds. At all seasons they tend to stay fairly low, in bushes or small trees, flicking their tails frequently as they search among the foliage for insects.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Perching Birds, Wood Warblers
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Arroyos and Canyons, Desert and Arid Habitats, Forests and Woodlands, High Mountains, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets, Tundra and Boreal Habitats
Region
Alaska and The North, California, Eastern Canada, Florida, Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, New England, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southeast, Southwest, Texas, Western Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight, Flitter, Rapid Wingbeats
Population
82.000.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Compared to most warblers, migrates relatively early in spring. Fall migration is relatively late in the east (where uncommon), spread over a long period in the west.
Description
4 1/2-5 1/2" (11-14 cm). Very plain; more grayish in east, more yellow-green in west. No wing-bars. Dark line through eye, faint broken eye-ring. Blurry streaks on chest. Undertail coverts yellow.
Size
About the size of a Sparrow
Color
Gray, Green, Orange, Yellow
Wing Shape
Rounded
Tail Shape
Notched, Square-tipped
Songs and Calls
Song is a simple trill going up or down the scale toward the end. Call a sharp stik.
Call Pattern
Falling, Flat
Call Type
Chirp/Chip, Hi, Trill
Habitat
Brushy clearings, aspens, undergrowth. Breeds in shrubby vegetation, usually deciduous undergrowth in various habitats, including spruce forest, fir-aspen forest, streamside thickets, or chaparral with partly shaded ground. During migration and winter, uses brushy tangles in similar habitat, including gardens and parks.
Sign up for Audubon's newsletter to learn more about birds like the Orange-crowned Warbler
Behavior
Eggs
4-5, sometimes 3-6. White or creamy, with reddish-brown speckles mostly at larger end. Only females incubate, 11-13 days.
Young
Fed by both parents, but brooded only by female. Leave nest at age of 10-13 days, when they still fly poorly. Both parents feed young for at least a few days after they leave nest. 1 brood per year.
Feeding Behavior
Forages by flitting from perch to perch, taking insects from foliage and flowers, often fairly low. Will hover to take prey from underside of leaves, or sally out from perch for flying insects. Pierces bases of flowers with its bill to take nectar.
Diet
Mostly insects, some berries. In summer eats mostly insects, feeding nestlings almost exclusively on insect larvae. In winter, will feed on oozing sap from wells drilled in tree bark by sapsuckers or other woodpeckers. On tropical wintering grounds, feeds on insects, nectar, and berries. Will take suet and peanut butter from feeders.
Nesting
Males arrive on breeding grounds before females, and establish territory by singing. Typically males return to territories defended the previous year. Nest: Nest site is protected from above by overhanging vegetation, usually on the ground in small depressions or on steep banks. Occasionally low in shrubby bushes or trees. Female builds small, open cup nest of leaves, fine twigs, bark, coarse grass and moss; lined with dry grass or animal hair. Male does not help with nest building, but accompanies the female closely.
Climate Vulnerability
Conservation Status
Numbers seem stable. Unlike some warblers, because of its wintering range and habitat, unlikely to be affected by cutting of tropical forest habitats.
Climate Threats Facing the Orange-crowned Warbler
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.