Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum)

County List:

Rule:

Mixed Forested/Nonforested Landscapes

      Bog
      or Treed Bog

Habitat List:

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Literature:

Habitat: This warbler is strongly associated with open boreal habitats, such as stunted black spruce forests and tamarack-sedge bogs. Although these plant communities are widespread in northern Michigan, the specific vegetational composition and structure apparently limits its local breeding range.

Nests are generally placed on the ground in sphagnum moss under small trees, and edge habitats are preferred. Three nest sites near the Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Schoolcraft Co. were characterized by Walkinshaw and Wolf. One nest was on dry ridge surrounded by muskeg. The ridge supported jack pine (5 to 9 m tall), wintergreen, blueberry, and bracken fern. The muskeg, according to Walkinshaw and Wolf "was an extensive sphagnum moss-leatherleaf bog [with] extensive areas of leatherleaf where no trees were located at all." The other two nests were placed in sphagnum, one under a jack pine and one under a black spruce; both were surrounded by sedge, grass, leatherleaf, Labrador tea, and swamp laurel.

A disjunct population in the northern Lower Peninsula utilized a drier habitat of young jack pine plains. Recorded nests were on the ground.

Currently, Michigan's Palm Warbler population is best represented in the extensive park-like peatlands of Chippewa and Luce counties in the eastern Upper Peninsula. The large size of this area is unique to Michigan (approximately 22 square miles). Stunted black spruce and tamarack are widely spaced with frequent large openings dominated by sedge and sphagnum. Within this area are narrow sand ridges (remnant lakeshore dunes) of young to mature red and white pine. Similar areas are described as preferred habitats for nesting pairs in Minnesota.

Habitat: Breeding: Frequents sphagnum bogs and wet muskegs, open barrens, and dry spruce forests.

A bird of thickets and open areas, usually seen low or on the ground.

Habitat: Wooded borders of muskeg (summer). In migration, low trees, bushes, ground. Breeds in sphagnum bogs with scattered cedar, tamarack and spruce trees. The western race also breeds in dry pine barrens of boreal forests with ground cover of blueberry, bearberry, and sweetfern. In migration, frequents old hedgerows, edges of streams and ponds, overgrown fields, and open pastures.

Diet: Insects and berries. Feeds mostly on small beetles, mosquitoes, flies, caterpillars, aphids, grasshoppers, ants, bees and spiders. Eats also a considerable amount of vegetable matter, including raspberries, bayberries, and seeds.

Nest: Placed on or near ground in a stunted spruce tree, close to the trunk. Open cup nest is frequently concealed under a clump of grass and on top of a hummock of sphagnum moss. Constructed by the female of fine, dry grass stems and bark shreds; lined with feathers.