The orange-crowned warbler is a delightful visitor at backyard suet feeders. See what the birds look like and learn where to find them.
Orange-Crowned Warbler Identification
As with golden-crowned and ruby-crowned kinglets, you might be stumped, at first, as to how the orange-crowned warbler got its name. This bird’s orange “crown” isn’t visible unless the bird raises its head feathers. Most of the time, it looks like a plain, greenish-yellow warbler.
To correctly identify it, look for a small bird with an olive back and wings, and with lighter yellow plumage along the throat. Check for darker streaking on the breast, a light or white fragmented ring around the eye, and a black eyeline. Plumage varies slightly depending on which area of its range the bird inhabits. In the east, these warblers take on grayer plumage. In the west, the birds are more yellow.
Range and Habitat
Orange-crowned warblers fly through the western half of the United States during migration. They spend breeding season in certain portions of the West and Pacific Northwest, including Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. They have a year-round range along the Pacific coast.
To find an orange-crowned warbler, look in shrubs, low trees, undergrowth, and forest brush. In winter and during migration, these warblers join mixed flocks that include other species of warblers, juncos, chickadees, and kinglets.
Diet: What Do Orange-Crowned Warblers Eat?
As is the case with most warblers, orange-crowned warblers eat plenty of bugs. These include beetles, flies, spiders, and insect larvae. That said, unlike many warblers, they’ll visit bird feeders — especially for peanut butter and suet. It’s possible to bring them in to a backyard if you offer those foods and live within their range.
Yellow-rumped warblers visit feeders, too.
Nesting Habits
Females build a nest on the ground, or low in a shrub. A typical clutch size for this species consists of three to six eggs. Males are extremely territorial on breeding grounds.
Orange-Crowned Warbler Song
Much variation exists in the orange-crowned warbler’s song. Generally, it consists of a light, clear trill with a rising or falling note at the end.
Listen to this warbler’s song.
Bird songs courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Sources
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Orange-crowned Warbler: Life History“
- National Audubon Society, “Field Guide: Orange-crowned Warbler“
