Kirtland's Wood Warbler

Kirtland’s wood warbler

Dendroica kirtlandii

(Photo courtesy of Lou George, USFWS)

Taxonomic Classification

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Parulidae Genus/Species: Dendroica kirtlandii (widely accepted as Setophaga kirtlandii) Common Name: Kirtland’s wood warbler (widely accepted as Kirtland’s warbler)

Listing Status

Federal Status: Endangered FL Status: Federally-designated Endangered FNAI Ranks: Not ranked IUCN Status: NT (Near Threatened)

Physical Description

Kirtland’s wood warbler is the largest species of the Dendroica genus (Sykes 1996). This species of wood warbler reaches a length of 5.75 inches (14.6 centimeters) with a wingspan of 8.75 inches (22.2 centimeters) (National Audubon Society 2011). Kirtland’s wood warblers are

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blue-gray with dark-colored dorsal (back) streaks and yellow streaks on their belly. They also have black markings on their sides and white crescents above and below their eyes (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2011).

Life History

The diet of Kirtland’s wood warbler primarily consists of small fruit and insects (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2011).

The weather determines the exact nesting time, as the Kirtland’s wood warbler will not nest during colder weather (Mayfield 1992). Nesting in Florida usually begins between May 16th and June 2nd (Mayfield 1992). Females use various plants and plant parts to build their nests on the ground including pine needles, pieces of wood, grass, sedge, and oak leaves (Mayfield 1992). The clutch size for the Kirtland’s warbler is three to six eggs, with females incubating the eggs for two weeks (National Audubon Society 2011). Eggs hatch between June 9th and June 26th. Juveniles leave the nest about nine days after hatching but are fed and cared for by their parents until they are six weeks old (Mayfield 1992).

Habitat & Distribution

Kirtland’s wood warblers nest in Jack pine (Pinus banksiana) that are 5 to 20 feet tall (1.5 to 6 meters) and 6 to 22 years old, and inhabit dense scrub during the winter (Mayfield 1992). Wood warblers primarily nest in Michigan and winter in the Bahamas (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2011 (1)). In Florida, the Kirtland’s wood warbler can be found in Collier, Dade, Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucie counties (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2011 (1)).

Threats

The main threat to the Kirtland’s wood warbler is the suppression of fire in its habitat (U.S. Fish & Wildlife 2011 (2)). Pines need fire to create the structure the warblers need for nesting. Cowbirds (Genus Maluthrus) also threaten the Kirtland’s wood warbler by laying eggs in their nests (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2011(2)). Cowbird hatchlings are bigger and out-compete the smaller Kirtland’s wood warbler juveniles, which can result in the death of juveniles due to the inability of the parent to supply enough food (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2011 (2)). Other threats include development and habitat fragmentation (National Audubon Society 2011).

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Conservation & Management

The Kirtland’s wood warbler is protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is also protected as an Endangered species by the Federal Endangered Species Act and as a Federally- designated Endangered species by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule.

-Federal Recovery Plan -Federal Action Plan