Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)

"Western" Palm Warbler [lateral view of non-breeding adult]: Photograph Credit: Rickey Shive; H Gentry Rd., Metcalfe County, Kentucky; 7 March 2020.

Abundance: Very Uncommon during winter; Uncommon during spring; Uncommon to Fairly Common during fall; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); data about the small Regional winter population are too few to determine trends in its numbers, while data about the migratory population are also insufficient to determine a trend in its numbers (see also Regional Bird Monitoring Plan).

Status: Winter Resident for a small population; Transient for most individuals found in the Region; photograph [lateral view of "Eastern" form] (David L. Roemer, Barren County, Kentucky; 20 October 2006); see also above.

Regional High Count and FBC/FBB High Count: 101 (25 September 2010; DeKalb County, Tennessee [FBC]; m. ob.); SBC/SBB High Count: 18 (9 May 1992; Putnam County, Tennessee [SBC]; m. ob.); CBC/CBB High Count: 4 (20 December 2003; Putnam County, Tennessee [Cookeville CBC]; m. ob.).

Out-of-Season Records:

7 June 1998 (1) Macon County, Tennessee (John D. Froeschauer; Fekel 1998d).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Fall: 5 September 2010 (Leffle Webb Rd., Cumberland County, Tennessee; Edmund K. LeGrand).

    Late Spring: 7 June 1998 (Macon County, Tennessee; John D. Froeschauer; Fekel 1998d); Next Latest Spring: 25 May 1985 (Cumberland County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman, David F. Vogt, and Ruth V. McMillan).

Note: Fall arrival generally widespread by 1 October, while spring departure usually complete by 1 May; Regional dates of earliest reported fall arrival and latest reported spring departure during winters from 2002–2003 to 2011–2012 follow:

Habitat: Open sites with low vegetation, such as pastures with hedgerows, seem to be the preferred habitat during winter; during migration a wider range of habitats is used.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 7 (of 125 possible) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 13 (of 206 possible) check-lists during 2004, leading to YardWatch frequency classifications of Very Uncommon (2003) and Uncommon (2004), frequency classifications that are roughly consistent with the overall Regional abundance classification.

Remarks: Nearly every method of surveying birds during winter has resulted in a few records of Palm Warbler, including Christmas Bird Counts, Great Backyard Bird Counts, and Winter Roadside Surveys.  Few Winter Bird Population Studies have been undertaken in the Region, and to date (February 2012) no WBPS has registered this species.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited