Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)


Group	Warblers
Code	ABPBX07010
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Parulidae
Author	(Boddaert, 1783)
Rank	G5 (definitions)
Occurrence	LM (definitions)
Scale	S (definitions)

County List:


Western UP	none
Eastern UP	none
Northern LP	none
Southern LP	Barry, Hillsdale, Gratiot, Genesee, Clinton, Cass, Calhoun, Berrien, Ionia, Van Buren, Branch, Shiawassee, Tuscola, Jackson, St. Joseph, St. Clair, Saginaw, Oakland, Muskegon, Montcalm, Kent, Ottawa, Kalamazoo, Allegan

Rule:

Forested or Mixed Forested/Nonforested Landscapes

      (Swamp Hardwoods (Sap or Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Bottomland Hardwoods (Sap or Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
   containing:
      (Snags or Living Cavity Trees)
   adjacent to:
      Riparian

view decision rule term definitions

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	no	no
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	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Balsam Poplar & Swamp Aspen & Swamp Birch	no	no	no	no	no	no
Bottomland Hardwoods	no	YES	YES	YES	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	Snags, Living Cavity Trees, Riparian

view size class definitions

Literature:

Walkinshaw, L. H. 1991. Prothonotary Warbler. Pages 430-431 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 Prothonotary, or Golden Swamp Warbler is found in wooded bottomlands, most often along banks of southern Michigan rivers, even at times where forests are only thin borders of willows. Streams 20 to 40 m wide bordered by red maple and other associated trees seem to be their preferred breeding areas.

This is a hole-nesting warbler. Most nests, which are built of moss and lined with fine grass, are built in low woodpecker holes or natural cavities; however, the prothonotary readily accepts bird houses.

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: Wooded swamps, borders of streams and shallow ponds and flooded bottomlands often heavily shaded with oak, maple, ash, and elm.

Special Habitat Requirements: Cavity for nesting; border between water and thick deciduous woods.

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

Habitat: Wooded swamps. Breeds in flooded riverbottom hardwoods including black willow, ash, buttonbush, sweetgum, red maple, hackberry, river birch, and elm; or wetlands with bay trees surrounded by cypress swamp. Also nests near borders of lakes, rivers, and ponds, normally only in areas with slow-moving or standing water.

Diet: Insects and snails. Feeds on adult insects and larvae (especially aquatic insects) including ants, caterpillars, mayflies, and beetles; also snails and other small mollusks, spiders, and some seeds.

Nest: Site usually 5-10 feet up (sometimes 3-30 feet), above standing water in hole in tree or stump. Cavities are often old Down Woodpecker nests. Sometimes excavates its own hole in very rotten stumps, and will use birdhouses. Female fills nest cavity nearly to the entrance hole with moss, dry leaves, twigs and bark, then lines it with rootlets and bark strips.