Prothonotary Warbler

Overview

Prothonotary Warbler: Medium-sized warbler with olive-green back and blue-gray wings and tail. Head, neck, and underparts are vibrant yellow and the undertail coverts are white. Bill, legs and feet are black. The only eastern warbler that nests in tree hollows. Once called the Golden Swamp Warbler.

Range and Habitat

Prothonotary Warbler: Breeds mainly in the southeastern states north to Minnesota, Michigan, and New York. Spends winters in the tropics. Preferred habitats include wooded swamps, flooded bottomland forests, and streams with dead trees.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Prothonotary Warbler is an endangered bird in Canada. It is one of only two warbler species in North America who nests in cavities. The other is Lucy’s Warbler.
The disappearance of its favorite winter habitat, mangrove swamps, may eventually present a threat to populations.
A group of warblers has many collective nouns, including a "bouquet", "confusion", "fall", and "wrench" of warblers.

The Prothonotary Warbler has a large range, estimated globally at 2,200,000 square kilometers. Native to the Americas and nearby island nations, this bird prefers temperate, subtropical, or tropical forest ecosystems. The global population of this bird is estimated at 1,800,000 individuals and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Prothonotary Warbler is Least Concern.