Fun Kirtland's Warbler Facts For Kids

The Kirtland's Warbler, Setophaga kirtlandii, is a small songbird of the family of the newly formed songbird genus Parulidae. In North America, the state of Michigan saw a huge growth of the Kirtland's Warbler earlier and was called Jack Pine bird or Jack Pine Warbler in those parts of the country.

The bird is known by this name because of its natural habitat of jackpines.

The Kirtland's Warbler is named after Jared Potter Kirtland, a doctor and a naturalist from the state of Ohio in North America. The birds were on the verge of extinction but are recovering recently.

The Kirtland's Warbler is one of the rarest songbirds found and the birds nest in young jack pine forests. This nest is usually plundered by brown-headed cowbirds, who have been the biggest enemies of the Kirtland's Warbler in recent times.

This endangered species sing in a loud 'chip-chip-chip-too-too-weet-weet'.

Apart from the sweet sound of Kirtland's Warbler, its range of songs can be heard up to 400 m in a good environment. Dense forests of big sizes are a must for these endangered species of birds to thrive and are filled with young jack pine trees.

There are many different Warbler species living in the world. To know some interesting facts about the Palm Warbler and the Blackburnian Warbler, check out our facts articles.

Kirtland's Warbler Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Kirtland's Warbler?

The species of the Warbler birds are a type of songbird.

What class of animal does a Kirtland's Warbler belong to?

The Kirtland's Warbler, Setophaga kirtlandii, is a species of bird in the Aves class in the Animalia kingdom.

How many Kirtland's Warblers are there in the world?

The population of the endangered species is estimated to be around 2300 pairs now. It has grown tremendously in recent times and is more than double the recovery numerical goal.

Where does a Kirtland's Warbler live?

The spring season is mostly spent by the maximum population of the endangered birds in Ontario, Wisconsin, and Michigan. This trip is usually in the summer too and during the breeding season.

The lower peninsula of Michigan is mostly flocked during this time. In the winter season, the endangered species are mostly found in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Earlier, the species were mostly found in Ohio, but that declined very fast. It was the reason for the tag of endangered species being given to the bird.

But due to the growing population, the formerly endangered species is seen in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Wisconsin, and southern Ontario. The conservation techniques used have worked for these birds in their natural habitat.

What is a Kirtland's Warbler's habitat?

For this endangered species to live, the birds have a very specific habitat requirement. The nest is made in well-drained sandy areas full of jack pine forests and often needs larger areas for nesting.

This natural habitat of a range of dense jack pine trees is only created by fires. After the slash-and-burn technique is used in a dense forest, the trees regrow after abandonment.

The dry forests in the Bahamas are a good place for the species. For the conservation of the species, people have also made sure to keep this habitat intact for the birds.

The Kirtland's Warbler nest stays on the ground, hidden by the low living branches of the trees in the habitat with a thick cover of grasses, sweet fern, and blueberry, the seeds of which the population of the bit species eats.

Mature jackpines do not give the required shade for the birds. The mature adult males return to the same nesting grounds year after year.

Only the first-time breeders and the new babies explore from one range to another to find a suitable breeding habitat. The females of the species are more selective towards the habitat and forest they live in. The best areas of the forests are always inhibited by the females of the bird species.

Who do Kirtland's Warblers live with?

These birds usually live in flocks and nests together too. Breeding is done in pairs of the bird.

How long does a Kirtland's Warbler live?

The Kirtland's Warbler lives around two years in the wild.

How do they reproduce?

The males of the warblers arrive on the nesting grounds earlier than the female species. The male species then establish large territories in the forests. Each year, the males return to the same colony in which the last nesting was completed.

Males are sometimes found to have more than one mate. The nest is made by the females and placed on the ground in sandy soils near the jack pines. Nests are made of grass, pine needles, oak leaves, hair, moss, and fibers.

During the nesting period, three to six eggs are laid in the nests. Most times, the number of eggs laid is four. The color of the eggs usually is pinkish-white with brown spots. Females incubate the eggs for 13-15 days and the males take the responsibility of feeding both of them.

After hatching, the young are fed by the parents for six weeks. The young leave the nest after nine days, but cannot fly properly till a few weeks later. They return to the nests every day.

What is their conservation status?

The Kirtland's Warbler endangered status has been delisted recently as the population has grown double. The conservation status was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 but has now been changed to Near Threatened, but with the population increasing.

Habitat loss was the main issue for the endangerment of the species. Nest parasitism by Brown-headed cowbirds is also another reason for it. Conservationists have checked the presence of these birds in the forests and also have protected the habitats.  

Kirtland's Warbler Fun Facts

What does Kirtland's Warblers look like?

These medium-sized songbirds have their upper parts with bluish-gray coloration with dark streaks. The cheeks of the bird are black and they have white eye rings.

The females are not as brightly marked as the males and have browning highlights on the wings and back. The young look like the females in all aspects. These birds also exhibit yellow bellies.

How cute are they?

These are a very beautiful species of songbirds and their vocals are also very sweet.

How do they communicate?

The birds communicate by moving their wings and feathers, and also by singing.

How big is a Kirtland's Warbler?

The average length of the birds ranges from 5.5–5.9 in (14-15 cm). The wingspan is around 22 cm in length.

How fast can a Kirtland's Warbler fly?

The speed of the Kirtland's Warbler is unknown, but they are said to be pretty quick flyers.

How much does a Kirtland's Warbler weigh?

The weight of the bird ranges from 0.02-0.03 lb (12–16 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

The male and female sexes of the bird are not given different names.

What would you call a baby Kirtland's Warbler?

The baby is called a hatchling.

What do they eat?

They eat mostly small insects like sawfly adults and larvae, grasshopper nymphs, moths, and flies. The birds also feed on pine sap and blueberries. Fruit seeds and insects are said to be their staple food.

Are they friendly?

The songbirds are very friendly birds and do not hurt any being.

Would they make a good pet?

The Kirtland's Warbler should not be kept as a pet, just by seeing their conservation status at the moment. Also, they need jack pine forests as their habitat, which is not possible to be enacted in homes.

Did you know...

Squirrels, snakes, weasels, raccoons, and foxes are the few animals that feed on the Kirtland's Warbler.

The Kirtland's Warbler spends the breeding time of the year in breeding grounds in Ontario of Canada,  Wisconsin, and Michigan in North America. In Michigan, the population is found mostly in the northeastern lower peninsula of Michigan. The Bahamas is the destination in the winter season.

Where can you see Kirtland's Warblers?

The Kirtland's Warblers can be mostly seen in the spring and summer in Wisconsin and Michigan. The whole of North America is the breeding ground for these songbirds.

Why are cowbirds and Kirtland's Warblers enemies?

The cowbirds parasitize the nests of the Kirtland's Warblers by laying their eggs in the latter's nests. As a result, the songbirds born are fewer as their eggs usually get destroyed or thrown off by the cowbirds. They are one of the reasons for the songbird's endangered status earlier.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including the Pine Warbler, or Magnolia Warbler.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Kirtland's warbler coloring pages.