Orange-crowned Warbler 445 



Orange-crowned Warbler. Vermivora celata. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 646— Colorado Records— Aiken 72, p. 196 

 Henshaw 75, p. 191 ; Minot 79, p. 226 ; Allen & Brewster 83, p. 156 

 Drew 85, p. 15 ; Beckham 87, p. 123 ; Lowe 92, p. 101 ; 94, p. 269 

 H. G. Smith 96, p. 76 (H. c. luteecens) ; Cooke 97, pp. 19, 113 ; 04, p. 40 

 Henderson 03, p. 237 ; 09, p. 239 ; Oberholser 05, p. 243 (H. c. orestera) 

 Warren 06, p. 23 ; Chapman 07, p. 89. 



Description. — General colour above greyish-olive, brighter and purer 

 on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; crown with an orange-chestnut 

 patch, hidden more or less by the olive-green tips to the feathers ; 

 an orbital ring of pale yellow ; wings and tail dusky, immarked ; below 

 pale greenish-yellow, with a dusky or greyish wash, clearest on the 

 under tail-coverts ; iris brown ; bill horny-brown, under mandible 

 paler ; legs brownish-homy. Length 4-60 ; wing 2-40 ; tail 2-0 ; culmen 

 •40 ; tarsus -70. 



The female is indistinguishable from the male, though generally 

 rather duller and very slightly smaller. Young birds have no crown- 

 patch ; the wing-coverts are pale tipped, and the general coloration 

 is duller and more buify. 



The Orange-crowned Warblers of eastern Colorado which have 

 been examined appear to be on the whole nearest to the t3^ical eastern 

 form and quite separable from Cahfornian birds {H. c. lutescens), though 

 a specimen in the Aiken collection from Mosca Pass, taken on Jvme 

 28th, is rather brighter and perhaps somewhat intermediate. Ober- 

 holser (05) has recently distinguished a Rocky Moimtain race {V. c. 

 orestera) intermediate in colour between the brighter California and 

 duller Middle States races. Should this new race be " passed " by the 

 A.O.U. Conamittee, the Colorado bird will certainly be referred to it. 



Distribution. — Breeding from Alaska and Manitoba south along the 

 Rocky Mountains to New Mexico and Arizona. In winter south to 

 Vera Cruz in central Mexico, and east over the Mississippi Valley 

 and Gulf states to South CaroHna. The form " orestera " is stated 

 by Oberholser to breed from British Columbia, through the Rocky 

 Mountains to southern California and New Mexico, and to go south 

 in winter to lower Cahfomia and southern Mexico. 



In Colorado the Orange-crown is far from uncommon during 

 migration, arriving from the south the first week in May (Fort Lyon 

 May 9th, Thome ; El Paso co. May 2nd, Aiken ; Loveland May 2nd, 

 W. G. Smith), and passing south again late in September. It is stated 

 to breed in the mountains from 6,000 to 9,000 feet, but I have not 

 been able to find any direct evidence of its doing so. It is chiefly met 

 with on the eastern plains and foothills, as the following additional 

 records show : Boulder May 21st (Henderson), Denver (Henshaw), 

 Limon, Lincoln co. (Aiken), Pueblo (Lowe), Salida May 1st (Frey), 



