Part 25

Subsequent molts consist of a complete postnuptial molt in summer and a partial prenuptial molt in early spring, as described above. The adult winter plumage "differs chiefly from first winter dress in possessing a larger, more distinct crown patch," in the male, and more or less of it in the female. "The color below is uniform and paler."

Food.--Nothing seems to be known about the summer food of the orange-crowned warbler, but it probably does not differ greatly from that of the lutescent warbler, whose food has been more thoroughly studied. In winter, it probably eats a fair proportion of berries and other fruits, especially when it spends the winter somewhat farther north than insects are to be found in abundance. It has also been known to come to a feeding station and eat suet, peanut butter, and doughnuts. In summer, it is probably almost wholly insectivorous. I can find no evidence that it does any damage to grapes or other cultivated fruits on its fall migration.

Voice.--Ernest Thompson Seton (1891) says of an orange-crowned warbler that he shot in Manitoba on May 12, 1883: "It was flitting about with great activity among the poplar catkins, and, from time to time, uttering a loud song like 'chip-e chip-e chip-e chip-e chip-e.' On May 141 shot another Orange-crowned Warbler. Its song is much like that of the Chipping Sparrow, but more musical and in a higher key. The bird is extremely restless and lively, moving about continually among the topmost twigs of the trees and uttering its little ditty about once in every half minute."

Dr. Lynds Jones wrote to Dr. Chapman (1907): "The song is full and strong, not very high pitched, and ends abruptly on a rising scale. My note book renders it chee chee chee chw' chw'. The first three syllables rapidly uttered, the last two more slowly. One heard late in the season sang more nearly like Mr. Thompson's description: chip-e, chip-e, chip-e, chip-e, chip-e, but with the first vowel changed to e, thus eliminating what would appear to be a marked similarity to the song of Chippy. Even in this song the ending is retained."

Francis H. Allen tells me that this warbler "has a chip note suggesting that of the tree sparrow but sharper."

Field marks.--The orange-crowned warbler is a plain bird, with practically no white markings in wings or tail, clad in dusky olive-green, paler below, the underparts sometimes obscurely streaked with olive-gray. The brownish orange crown patch is usually not conspicuous, except in worn summer plumage, and lacking in young birds and some females.

Fall.--Orange-crowned warblers begin to leave northern Alaska in August. Dr. Nelson (1887) says that it is rare about St. Michael after the middle of the month, his latest date being August 24. The birds obtained at that season were mainly young of the year. "In fall this species frequents the vicinity of dwellings and native villages, where it searches the crevices of the fences and log houses for insects."

The southeastward migration through central Canada and the United States seems to be leisurely and quite prolonged, mainly in September and early October, but often continuing into November. In Massachusetts, there are numerous late fall records and some winter records. Horace W. Wright (1917) has published an extensive paper on this subject and has collected the following Massachusetts records: "Mr. Brewster's eleven records lie within the period of autumn from September 23 to November 28. There are three for September, namely, the 23rd and the 30th twice; none for October; and eight for November, namely, 7th, 9th, 10th, 17th, 20th-21st, 23rd-24th, 25th, and 28th. On two occasions two birds were present, November 9 and 28. My own records run later. The earliest is November 5, and the latest is January 23. They are November 5, 18, 20, 22, 28, 29, January 10, 19, 23." As Mr. Wright's records cover a period of 8 years ending with January 1916, they indicate that the orange-crowned warbler is not such a rare straggler in Massachusetts as is generally supposed, and may be looked for almost any year in late fall, or even winter. Mr. Forbush (1929) says of its occurrence there:

This warbler may be found almost anywhere in New England during the fall migration wherever there are trees and shrubbery. In my experience the bird has been either in the trees or in the tops of rather tall shrubs and never very high, but like other members of the genus, though it nests on the ground it is said to spend considerable time in the upper parts of trees. It seems fond of the edges of woodlands near water, but it also frequents open woods, orchards, fruit gardens and shade trees, where amid the foliage it is very seldom noticed by the ordinary observer. When approached it divides its attention between the observer and its insect prey, which it hunts assiduously in the manner of others of the genus. This warbler may be seen rarely in small companies, but more often singly or in company with a small group of warblers of other species.

Dr. Winsor M. Tyler contributes the following: "The orange-crowned warbler is a rare bird in New England, but we may look for it with some hope of success in the very late autumn, through November and even into December, during the soft, calm days of Indian Summer. As we walk along over the dead leaves, wet from last night's frost, watching for the bird in the shrubs by the roadside and in neglected pastures, almost the only sound is the ticking of the falling leaves as they hit against the branches; and mistiness is all about us. Several seasons may pass before we hear its sharp chip, which stands out clearly from the gentle voice of the late-lingering myrtle warblers, and see it flitting all alone among the twigs, or on the ground--a lonely, dark, obscure little bird, darker and more deliberate than the kinglets. It is strange that a Vermivora should linger here with winter so near at hand, but indeed there is evidence which leads us to believe that a few of these warblers may attempt to spend the winter in the southern part of this region, and should any one of them withstand the cold season, it may furnish, when it moves northwards towards its breeding ground, one of the exceedingly rare instances of the occurrence of the bird on the northern Atlantic coast in spring."

Winter.--The principal winter home of the orange-crowned warbler seems to be in the southern Atlantic and Gulf States. Of its occurrence in coastal South Carolina, Arthur T. Wayne (1910) writes:

My earliest date for its arrival is October 30, 1897, but it is never abundant until the middle of November, remaining until the second week in April. It is capable of enduring intense cold. I have seen numbers of these highly interesting birds near Charleston when the thermometer ranged as low as 8° above zero and it is always more active and hence oftener seen when the weather is cold and cloudy.

The Orange-crowned Warbler inhabits thickets of lavender and myrtle bushes as well as oak scrub, and its center of abundance is on the coast islands, the greater part of which is veritable jungle, in which it particularly delights. Its only note while it sojourns here is a chip or cheep which very closely resembles the note of the Field Sparrow in winter.

Dr. Chapman (1907) says: "During the winter I have found the Orange-crowned Warbler a not uncommon inhabitant of the live-oaks in middle Florida where its sharp chip soon becomes recognizable. In Mississippi, at this season, Allison (MS.) says that 'its favorite haunts are usually wooded yards or parks, where the evergreen live oak and magnolia can be found; I have seen it most commonly among the small trees on the border of rich mixed woods, above an undergrowth of switch cane. Coniferous trees it seems not to care for, though I have seen it in the cypress swamps.'"

DISTRIBUTION

Range.--From Alaska and northern Canada to Guatemala.

Breeding range.--The orange-crowned warbler breeds =north= to north-central Alaska (Kobuk River and Fort Yukon; a specimen has been collected near Point Barrow); northern and western Mackenzie (Fort McPherson, Fort Anderson, Lake Hardisty, and Hill Island Lake); northern Saskatchewan (near Sand Point, Lake Athabaska); northeastern Manitoba (Churchill and York Factory); and casually to northwestern Quebec (Richmond Gulf). =East= to eastern and southern Manitoba (York Factory, Winnipeg, and Aweme); southwestern Saskatchewan (East End and the Cypress Hills); southeastern Alberta (Medicine Hat); western Montana (Great Falls, Belt, and Bozeman); northwestern and southeastern Wyoming (Yellowstone Park and Laramie); central Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs, Wet Mountains, and Fort Garland); central New Mexico (Taos Mountains and Willis); and southwestern Texas (Guadalupe Mountains). =South= to southwestern Texas (Guadalupe Mountains); south-central New Mexico (Capitan Mountains); southeastern and northwestern Arizona (Tucson, Santa Catalina Mountains, and north rim of the Grand Canyon); southern Nevada (St. Thomas); and southern California (Panamint Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, San Jacinto Mountains, Coronado Beach, and San Clemente Island). =West= to the Pacific coast of California (San Clemente and Santa Rosa Islands, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and Eureka); Oregon (Coos Bay and Tillamook); Washington (Cape Disappointment, Stevens Prairie, and Neah Bay); British Columbia (Nootka Sound and the Queen Charlotte Islands); and Alaska (Sitka, Yakutat, Nushegak, Igiak Bay, St. Michael, and the Kobuk River).

The orange-crowned warbler has been recorded in migration in southern Quebec as far east as Metamek and may occasionally breed. There is a single breeding record for Minnesota at Cambridge.

Winter range.--The orange-crowned warbler winters =north= to northwestern Washington (Seattle); central California (Marysville, Bigtrees, Atwater, and Victorville); southern Nevada (near Searchlight); central and southeastern Arizona (Fort Verde, Phoenix, and Tucson); southern Texas (El Paso, Fort Clark, and Boerne); Louisiana (Monroe); rarely Tennessee (Memphis); central Georgia (Macon and Augusta); and southern South Carolina (Charleston). It has also occurred occasionally in winter as far north as Madison, Wis.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Canandaigua, N. Y.; and Boston, Mass. =East= to South Carolina (Charleston); Georgia (Savannah); and Florida (Jacksonville, Coconut Grove, and Royal Palm Hammock). =South= to southern Florida (Royal Palm Hammock); the Gulf coast of Florida (Ozona, Wakulla Beach, and Pensacola); Mississippi (Biloxi); Louisiana (New Orleans); Texas (Rockport, Corpus Christi, and Brownsville); Tamaulipas (Altamira); Veracruz (Orizaba); and Guatemala (Chimuy and Tecpán). =West= to western Guatemala (Tecpán and Nenton); Guerrero (Chilpancingo and Coyuca); Colima (Manzillo); Jalisco (Mazatlán); Baja California (Cape San Lucas and Santa Margarita Island); the Pacific coast of California (San Clemente and Santa Cruz Islands, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and Eureka); western Oregon (Eugene); and northwestern Washington (Tacoma and Seattle).

The above ranges apply to the species as a whole, of which four subspecies or geographic races are recognized: the eastern orange-crowned warbler (V. c. celata) breeds from northern Alaska, northern Mackenzie and northern Manitoba south to central Alaska, northern Alberta, and Saskatchewan to southern Manitoba; the Rocky Mountain orange-crowned warbler (V. c. orestera) breeds from northern British Columbia, central Alberta, and southwestern Saskatchewan southward east of the Cascades and Sierra Nevadas; the lutescent orange-crowned warbler (V. c. lutescens) breeds in the Pacific coast region from Cook Inlet, Alaska, south to southern California and eastward in California to the west slope of the Sierra Nevadas; the dusky orange-crowned warbler (V. c. sordida) is resident on the southern coastal islands of California and locally on the adjacent mainland.

Migration.--The orange-crowned warbler is of rare occurrence in the northeastern United States where it is reported more often in fall than in spring.

Early dates of spring arrival are: Pennsylvania--Harrisburg, April 21. New York--Rochester, April 27. Tennessee--Memphis, April 5. Kentucky--Bowling Green, April 23. Ohio--Oberlin, April 14. Michigan--Ann Arbor, April 26. Ontario--Queensborough, April 26. Missouri--Columbia, April 20. Iowa--Sioux City, April 24. Wisconsin--Madison, April 19. Minnesota--Red Wing, April 19. Kansas--Lake Quivira, April 18. Nebraska--Fairbury, April 16. South Dakota--Arlington, April 22. North Dakota--Fargo, April 22. Manitoba--Winnipeg, April 25. Saskatchewan--East End, May 2. Mackenzie--Simpson, May 21. New Mexico--Carlisle, April 28. Colorado--Colorado Springs, April 27. Wyoming--Laramie, April 21. Montana--Fortine, April 28. Alberta--Glenevis, April 28. Oregon--Portland, March 26. Washington--Bellingham, March 2. British Columbia--Courtney, March 24. Yukon--Carcross, April 26. Alaska--Ketchikan, April 26; Tanana Crossing, May 18.

Late dates of spring departure of migrants are: Florida--Pensacola, April 20. Georgia--Atlanta, April 29. South Carolina--Aiken, May 3. North Carolina--Hendersonville, May 9. West Virginia--Wheeling, May 12. New York--Canandaigua, May 27. Louisiana--New Orleans, April 3. Mississippi--Biloxi, April 21. Tennessee--Knoxville, April 25. Ohio--Austinburg, May 30. Ontario--Ottawa, May 28. Missouri--St. Louis, May 8. Iowa--Des Moines, June 6. Wisconsin--Racine, May 24. Michigan--Sault Ste. Marie, June 3. Minnesota--Rochester, May 28. Texas--Lytle, May 19. Oklahoma--Copan, May 2. Kansas--Onaga, May 22. Nebraska--Neligh, May 13. South Dakota--Faulkton, June 1. North Dakota--Fargo, June 6.

Late dates of fall departure are: Alaska--Craig, September 24. British Columbia--Atlin, September 9; Okanagan Landing, October 23. Washington--Semiahmoo, October 8. Oregon--Prospect, October 8. Alberta--Glenevis, October 5. Montana--Fort Keogh, September 22. Wyoming--Laramie, October 25. Utah--St. George, October 12. New Mexico--Gallinas Mountains, October 9. Saskatchewan--East End, September 16. Manitoba--Aweme, October 14. North Dakota--Fargo, October 19. South Dakota--Aberdeen, October 14. Nebraska--Hastings, October 8. Kansas--Wichita, November 2. Oklahoma--Norman, October 19. Minnesota--Minneapolis, October 20. Wisconsin--Milwaukee, October 26. Iowa--Giard, October 19. Ontario--Kingston, October 6. Michigan--Ann Arbor, November 1. Ohio--Toledo, October 27. Illinois--La Grange, October 28. Tennessee--Dover, October 26. Massachusetts--Lynn, November 30. New York--Rochester, October 9. Pennsylvania--Harrisburg, November 19 (bird was banded).

Early dates of fall arrival are: North Dakota--Ryder, August 18. South Dakota--Faulkton, August 23. Nebraska--Hastings, September 16. Texas--Lytle, August 29. Minnesota--Lanesboro, August 3. Wisconsin--New London, August 24. Iowa--National, August 28. Michigan--Blaney, August 19. Illinois--Chicago, August 28. Ontario--Ottawa, September 7. Ohio--Columbus, September 9. Tennessee--Clarksville, October 16. Arkansas--Hot Springs, September 11. Louisiana--New Iberia, November 19. Mississippi--Saucier, October 12. Massachusetts--Concord, October 2. Pennsylvania--Erie, September 15. West Virginia--Bethany, October 20. Georgia--Athens, October 12. South Carolina--Frogmore, September 20. Florida--Key West, October 5.

Banding.--Two returns of banded orange-crowned warblers seem worth recording. One banded at Mellette, S. Dak., on September 21, 1939, was found, probably dead, on December 13, 1940 at Webster, Wis. Another banded at Eagle Rock, Calif., on April 3, 1940, was found dead, on June 21, 1940 at Wards Cove, Alaska.

Casual record.--An immature orange-crowned warbler was collected October 14, 1906, at Lichtenfels, Greenland.

Egg dates.--Alaska: 10 records, June 8 to July 2.