Vermivora celata
Don't bother looking for the Orange-crowned Warbler's telltale orange crown-its most distinguishing characteristic is the lack of distinctive field marks. Conspicuously absent are wing bars, an eye ring and a colorful breast, rump or flank. Orange-crowned Warblers are the plainest of the warbler clan; even this bird's golden-orange crown is concealed by its olive head feathers. Wood warblers are strictly confined to the New World. The 109 species (56 occurring in North America) originated in South America, where they have the highest diversity. Vermivora is Latin for 'worm eating'; celata is from the Latin for 'hidden,' a reference to this bird's inconspicuous crown. |
I.D.: Sexes similar: olive-gray body; lighter undertail coverts; dark eye line; yellowish eyebrow; faintly streaked underparts; thin bill; faint orange crown patch. Size: L 5 in. (13 cm). Range: common spring migrant and summer breeder in the Canadian Rockies; less common in the northern U.S. Rockies; uncommon to locally common in Idaho and Colorado. Habitat: deciduous or mixed forests, shrubby avalanche slopes, pinyon-juniper woodlands and riparian forests from the upper foothills to the lower subalpine. Nesting: on the ground or occasionally in a low shrub; well-hidden, small cup nest is made of coarse grass; incubates 4-5 eggs for 12-14 days. Feeding: gleans foliage for invertebrates, berries, nectar and sap. Voice: Male: faint trill that breaks downward halfway through. Similar Species: Tennessee Warbler: blue-gray head; olive back; dark eye line. Ruby-crowned Kinglet: broken eye ring; wing bars. Wilson's Warbler: female has no eyebrow, yellower underparts and light-colored legs. |
