Worm-Eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorus)


Group	Warblers
Code	ABPBX08010
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Parulidae
Author	(Gmelin, 1789)
Rank	G5 (definitions)
Occurrence	LM (definitions)
Scale	S (definitions)

County List:


Western UP	none
Eastern UP	none
Northern LP	none
Southern LP	Ottawa, Kalamazoo

Rule:

Forested or Mixed Forested/Nonforested Landscapes

      (Northern Hardwoods (Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Bottomland Hardwoods (Lg Saw or Uneven))
   containing:
      Stand/Gap Openings

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Habitat List:

Habitats	Regen	Sap	Pole	Sm Saw	Lg Saw	Uneven
Aspen	no	no	no	no	no	-
Paper Birch	no	no	no	no	no	-
Oak	no	no	no	no	no	no
Assorted Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	YES	YES
Spruce/Fir	no	no	no	no	no	no
Hemlock	no	no	no	no	no	no
Jack Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Red Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
White Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Conifer Plantations	no	no	no	no	no	-
Mixed Upland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Upland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Swamp Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Balsam Poplar & Swamp Aspen & Swamp Birch	no	no	no	no	no	no
Bottomland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	YES	YES
Tamarack	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern White Cedar	no	no	no	no	no	no
Black Spruce	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Non-Forested	none
Special Features	Stand (Gap) Openings

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Literature:

Reinoehl, J. 1991. Worm-eating Warbler. Pages 432-433 In: R. Brewer, G. A. McPeek, and R. J. Adams, Jr. (eds.) The atlas of breeding birds of Michigan. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing. 594 pp.

Habitat: The habitat of the species throughout its normal range is wooded deciduous hillsides and forest undergrowth. The sole breeding confirmation was in Ottawa Co. in an area described as "mature-beech-hemlock forest on sand dunes, with ridges and ravines". The presence of a southern species in a forest with hemlock trees may seem incongruous, but these well-drained steep hillsides evidently appeal to this species more than other available Michigan habitats. The nest is a cup placed on the ground, often in an accumulation of dead leaves.

DeGraaf, R. M. and D. D. Rudis. 1986. New England wildlife: habitat, natural history, and distribution. GTR NE-108. Broomall, PA:USDA, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 491 pp.

Habitat: Breeding: Deep, damp woods, wooded ravines or hillsides often near a running stream and a dense understory. Birds favor second-growth deciduous woods with young trees and a shrubby understory.

Special Habitat Requirements: Dense undergrowth.

Kaufman, K. 1996. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 675 pp.

Habitat: Leafy wooded slopes. During breeding season, frequents dense deciduous woodlands. Prefers cool, shaded banks, sheer gullies, and steep, forested slopes covered with medium-sized trees and an undergrowth of saplings and shrubs.

Diet: Mostly insects. Eats smooth caterpillars, but rarely or never takes the earthworms that the name would seem to imply. Also feeds on small grasshoppers, bugs, ants, bees, walkingsticks, beetles, sawfly larvae, and spiders. Feeds nestlings moths and grubs.

Nest: Placed on ground, normally on hillside against a deciduous shrub or sapling, well concealed by dead leaves. Nest is an open cup of dead leaf skeletons; lined with fungus filaments, hair moss, maple seed stems, animal hair.

Conservation Status: Has disappeared from some areas with clearing of forest. Current numbers probably stable. Will become more vulnerable to parasitism by cowbirds where forest is broken up into smaller patches.