Orange-crowned warbler
The orange-crowned warbler is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.
Taxonomy
The orange-crowned warbler was formally described in 1822 by the American zoologist Thomas Say under the binomial name Sylvia celatus from a specimen collected on an expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains led by Stephen [Harriman Long]. The specific epithet celatus is Latin and means "secret" or "hidden". The type locality is Omaha, Nebraska. The orange-crowned warbler is now placed in the genus Leiothlypis that was introduced by the Dutch ornithologist George Sangster in 2008. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek λειος/leios meaning "plain" and θλυπις/thlupis, an unknown small bird mentioned by Aristotle.Four subspecies are recognised:
- L. c. celata – breeds in central Alaska to south Canada, winters in Guatemala
- L. c. lutescens – breeds in west Canada and west USA, winters in Guatemala
- L. c. orestera – breeds in west central Canada and west central USA, winters in Mexico
- L. c. sordida – resident in south California and northwest Mexico
Description
The orange-crowned warbler has olive-grey upperparts, yellowish underparts with faint streaking and a thin pointed bill. It has a faint line over each eye and a faint broken eye ring. The orange patch on the crown is usually not visible. Females and immatures are duller in colour than males. Western birds are yellower than eastern birds. Orange-crowned warblers are distinguished by their lack of wing bars, streaking on the underparts, strong face marking or bright colouring, resembling a fall Tennessee warbler and a black-throated blue warbler, both of which are also members of the New World warbler family.The song of is a trill, descending in pitch and volume. The call is a high chip.