Orange-crowned Warblers are one of our most common captures at Creamer’s Field Migration Station. Preferring to forage in low vegetation, these birds spend most of their time near the ground.

Orange-crowned Warblers are a sleek olive color. Their wings tend to be grayer than the rest of their bodies. In western North America, Orange-crowned Warblers have more vibrant plumage. Their namesake orange crown is only visible when their crown feathers are ruffled, which is rare.

Orange-crowned Warblers rank third all-time in the CFMS capture totals, with about 13,000 captures altogether; in 2024 we banded 130 individuals. They tend to come through in the greatest numbers at our station in the second half of August. When processing these birds in hand, we can measure the extent of their oft-concealed orange crown feathers, which helps us determine the sex of the bird (males tend to have more orange than females).