Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica)

Abundance: Uncommon, sometimes becoming Fairly Common in optimal habitat (see Foray Results below), during spring, summer, and early fall; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); data from Regional bird-monitoring efforts indicate the population breeding in the Region is probably stable (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Summer Resident; photograph [possible aberrant individual; note tail tip] (Susan E. Pirolo; Putnam County, Tennessee; April 2007).

Regional High Count and SBC/SBB High Count: 78 (24 April 2009; McCreary County, Kentucky [SBB]; m. ob.).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Spring: x (

    Late Fall: x (

    Note: Spring arrival usually widespread by 5 April; fall departure largely complete by 20 September.  Regional dates of earliest reported spring arrival and latest reported fall departure for the years 2002–2011 follow:

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent). Confirmation of breeding was obtained during the 1986–1991 atlas project in 9 of 16 counties in the Tennessee portion of the Region (Nicholson 1997); confirmation was also also during the 1985–1991 atlas project in 3 of 10 counties in the Kentucky portion of the Region (Palmer-Ball 1996); confirmation of breeding was additionally obtained during the 2010 UCR Foray in Cumberland County, Tennessee.

Habitat: Partial to riparian corridors, often where American sycamore is dominant or a co-dominant.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 13 (of 125 possible) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 21 (of 206 possible) check-lists during 2004, leading to a YardWatch frequency classification of Uncommon each year; this YardWatch frequency classification compares favorably with the overall Regional abundance classification for the Yellow-throated.

Foray Results: A summary of data from UCR Forays follows (to view a map displaying foray data for a county or a sub-Region for this species, click on the name of an underlined county or state below):

* Because some foray blocks fall into two or three counties, the total of blocks in the Kentucky or Tennessee portions of the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the counties of each portion of the Region; similarly, because some blocks fall into both states, the total of blocks for the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the two states.

Remarks: During 11 UCR Forays conducted from 2008 through 2011, when a "counting period" was used to obtain abundance data in each block, the highest total of individuals in a single block for the Yellow-throated was 14 (in the Hail 6 block of McCreary County); with one exception, all other blocks in which more than 9 Yellow-throated Warblers were recorded were also in McCreary County (where the Regional High Count was also obtained).  Only one block (Union Hill 6 in Clay County) in the Tennessee portion of the Region supplied a count of more than 9 individuals, a good indication of the generally low Regional population density of this warbler.

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