An Orange-crowned Warbler Takes A Bath

 Same birdbath.  Different warbler.

While Yellow-rumped Warblers move through the trees and shrubs of wintertime neighborhoods in loose flocks, constantly calling to each other with soft contact calls, Orange-crowned Warblers are generally seen singly during the winter, moving quietly through low trees and shrubs in search of food.  A couple of these little warblers have been hanging out in our yard lately, and I managed to snap a few photos of this one taking a bath.

Unlike Yellow-rumped Warblers, which prominently display their namesake field mark, Orange-crowned Warblers are named for a subtle feature that is hardly ever visible in the field: a small patch of orange feathers on the top of its head.  In a few of these photos, the orange crown just shows through this bird's wet feathers.  Look closely!

Like many other North American warblers, the Orange-crowned breeds in montane forests across Alaska and Canada, following the Sierra-Cascade and Rocky Mountain chains south into favorable habitat in the West.  Preferred breeding habitat includes shrubby deciduous undergrowth, aspen stands and streamside thickets; in the winter, they stick to similar low, deciduous vegetation, often moving into suburban parks and gardens across the southern United States and Mexico.  Here in the San Joaquin Valley, they may be seen throughout the year, but are most common during the winter.

Like all members of their tribe, Orange-crowned Warblers are largely insectivorous, though they broaden their foraging horizons during the winter when insects are more scarce, expanding their diet to include berries, nectar, and sap.  In a backyard setting, they may be attracted to suet feeders, peanut butter and hummingbird feeders offering nectar.  (Our backyard Orange-crowned Warblers are fairly regular winter visitors to our hummingbird feeders, where they perch precariously like oversized yellow hummingbirds.  See some photos of this behavior here!)

While Orange-crowned Warblers might be considered North America's most "drab" warbler, appearing more olive-green than yellow and just a little dull alongside Wilson's and Yellow Warblers during the riot of color that is spring migration, perception is relative!  During the gray winter months, Orange-crowed Warblers move through the landscape like a pinpoint of sunlight, shining brilliantly yellow against the surrounding winter pallet of tans and grays.