Foraging in shrubs and tree tops, the orphean warbler feeds on insects and other arthropods, such as spiders and ticks. These invertebrates are plucked from branches and leaves, or more rarely found on the ground or snatched out of the air whilst in flight (2) (3) (4). In the autumn months, when insect food sources are decreasing, the orphean warbler takes berries, seeds and sometimes even nectar from flowers (3).
The orphean warbler’s breeding season lasts from mid-April to July. During this time, a nest is constructed by both sexes (3) in the fork of a branch or carefully balanced on a branch up to 3.5 metres off the ground (4). The nest is made from grass and other plant materials, and sometimes also spiders’ webs (3), and is lined with finer grasses and hair (2).
The orphean warbler lays four to five eggs, which are a white-blueish, occasionally with darker speckles (2). The chicks, which hatch after 12 to 14 days, are fed by both parents until they are able to leave the nest. No-one knows how long the orphean warbler lives for in the wild, but the oldest specimen in captivity reached 14 years (3).