Beak of the Week – Orange-crowned Warbler

The Orange-crowned Warbler is a rather inconspicuous species of warbler common to the upper Texas coast during the winter. They can be seen from October through April and are absent during the summer. Due to their rather drab coloring and silent foraging habits, they can be difficult to spot and distinguish from many warblers, especially females of certain species.

Orange-crowned Warblers are small, with a thin, sharply pointed bill. They are generally olive-yellow overall with a thin, faint eye line and a broken eye ring. Their undertail coverts are always yellow and are a good field mark to keep in mind for identification. Adults have an orangish crown patch, hence the name, but this is usually concealed and difficult to see. Males often raise their crown feathers to flash this patch during territorial displays or when threatened. Males sing a trilling song of sweet, clear notes. Orange-crowned Warbler calls are sharp, high-pitched chip notes, distinctive from other warblers.

Orange-crowned Warblers are often found in shrubs and low-growing vegetation in riparian areas and patches of forest. Overall, they breed in more forest types than nearly any other warbler species. In the winter, Orange-crowned Warblers look for habitats similar to their breeding grounds. These warblers mainly eat invertebrate prey, such as ants, beetles, flies, and caterpillars. In the winter, they will eat fruit, berries, seeds, and will also visit sapwells created by sapsuckers and other woodpeckers. They will also pierce the bases of flowers to eat the nectar.

In late winter and early spring, males will sing as they establish territories to attract a mate, then enter a silent stage as courtship begins. Female Orange-crowned Warblers select the nest site and build the nests, which can take up to four days. After the female has built the nest, the male will start singing again. Nests can be made up out of dead leaves, stems, coarse grass, fine twigs, bark and moss. The average clutch size for these warblers can range from 3 to 6 eggs.

Many Orange-crowned Warblers winter in Mexico, with some continuing south to Guatemala and Belize. Others will winter in central California and the southeastern United States. After winter, they migrate north to breed in the northwestern United States, Canada, and Alaska. Some can be seen year-round in the western United States, depending on where you are. Orange-crowned Warblers can be seen at many of the Houston Audubon sanctuaries this time of year, including Smith Oaks, Boy Scout Woods, Edith L. Moore, Eubanks Woods, and S.E. Gast Red Bay.