Meet the palm warbler

Palm Warbler

Setophaga palmarum

By Rebecca Thompson, Education Manager

In both fall and spring, palm warblers are common migrants across the east. They spend most of their time in shrubs or on the ground, bobbing their tails up and down. They are found in weedy fields, forest edges and areas with scattered trees and shrubs. They often forage on the ground in a group with other birds, including juncos, yellow-rumped warblers and sparrows.

In addition to foraging on the ground or low vegetation, palm warblers grab insects midair from low shrubs or trees. They primarily eat insects, including beetles, flies and caterpillars. They also eat seeds and berries during the winter, including bayberry, sea grape and hawthorn.

Palm warblers are one of the northernmost breeding warblers. Ninetyeight percent breed in Canada’s boreal forest in bogs with scattered evergreen trees and thick ground cover. As soon as males arrive on breeding grounds, they sing from high perches to establish their territory. From late April until early May, breeding birds pair up in the male’s territory. Pairs stay together only during the breeding season.

Palm warblers place their nests at the base of a small tree or shrub on the ground in peat moss. They occasionally nest on or slightly above the ground in drier evergreen forests. Females build a fourinch, cup-shaped nest with plant fibers, shredded bark and dried grasses. They line the inside of the nest with more delicate grasses and feathers.

Female palm warblers lay one set of four to five white or creamy-white brownish-red speckled eggs. Females incubate the eggs for 12 days. Both parents feed the young. Fledglings leave the nest 11 to 12 days after hatching. Young cannot fly several days after leaving the nest and remain with their parents until they are 20 days old.

Palm warbler populations seem stable throughout their breeding territory. However, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, palm warblers may have experienced a decline between 1966 and 2015. Like most species of songbirds, palm warblers migrate at night. Illuminated skyscrapers or lights aimed at

SIZE: 4.5-5.5 inches

WINGSPAN: 8 inches

DESCRIPTION: Fall and Winter: dull brown olive with yellow eyebrows, under the tail and throat; Chestnut brown cap. Breeding: Brighter colors RANGE: Winters: the Caribbean, along with the southeastern United States and occasionally along the West Coast; Breeding: Canada’s Boreal Forest VOICE CALL: Multiple chips SONG: 4-16 buzzy trill slightly ascends in pitch BEST LOCATION TO VIEW: Arboretum: Corning Lake; Garden: Woodland Garden Edge

the sky at night can disorient migrating birds and draw them into buildings. Palm warblers are the most frequently killed species from illuminated buildings and towers across the United States. For the past 25 years, one TV tower in Florida has been responsible for the death of more than 1,800 palm warblers. Turning off lights at night on skyscrapers and towers will help reduce casualties. Like many other states, Ohio is working toward preventing these unnecessary bird collisions by having lights-out at night programs.

MEET THE STAFF

Rebecca Thompson is the Education Manager at Holden Forests & Gardens and has dedicated her career (1999 – present) to schoolaged children and life-long learners.Her enthusiasm for the natural world has kindled a sense of exploration, discovery and a deeper appreciation for the environment. Her passion for bird watching drove her to become a self-taught local bird expert. She has served as President on local boards, including Blackbrook Audubon Society and Cleveland Regional Council of Science Teachers.