Palm Warbler

This little Palm Warbler was flitting around the shoreline of a lake, using the plants like stepping stones to hop around on the water before skirting back to a branch. Bright and active, it paused here to flaunt its cheerful yellow feathers in the sunshine. 

Most Palm Warblers start their families in Canada, in the bogs of the boreal forest.^[1] Their breeding habits remain somewhat of a mystery, since the areas they breed and nest in are hard to reach.^[1] Descriptions of these sites include phrases like "heavy undergrowth," "difficult to traverse",^[1] and "remote and mosquito-infested breeding grounds."^[2]

Of course, mosquito-infested areas can be beautiful and important, and they're where the fun, yellow-tinged bird above travels every year to start a family.

Palm Warblers tend to hop along close to the ground, which is also where they build their nests.^{[3, 4]} They make nests out of moss, close to the ground near trees, and line them with feathers.^[3] The mom and dad take turns incubating the eggs for almost 2 weeks.

Then, as fall approaches, they travel, flying south from Canada across the United States,^[5] which is how I got to see this cheerful little bird at the lake.

A Palm Warbler walking around on the water lettuce on the lake.

The Details:

Common Name: Palm Warbler

Scientific Name: Setophaga palmarum

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Parulidae

Seen: On the edge of a lake, flitting between the vegetation on the water and on the shoreline

Month: January

Range: The Palm Warbler can be found most of the eastern half of the United States during at least one of its stages (breeding, nonbreeding, or migratory).^[6] North Dakota is typically as far west as it ventures in the U.S, but it can be found further west in Canada. Check out this helpful range map on the Cornell Lab's website.

Learn More About Palm Warblers:

1. Boreal Songbird Initiative. (n.d.). Guide to Boreal birds: Palm Warbler.
2. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Initiative. (n.d.). Palm Warbler.
3. Alsop, F. J. (2002). Birds of North America (American ed.). Dorling Kindersley Limited. 
4. Tekiela, S. (2020). Birds of Florida field guide (3rd ed.). Adventure Publications.
5. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Palm Warbler: Overview. All About Birds.
6. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Palm Warbler: Range map. All About Birds.