Summary
- Natural history: Bay-breasted Warblers have nested in Vermont on just three confirmed occasions, all in Essex County, making them one of the state’s rarest breeding birds even though the species is common across Canada’s boreal forest. Although the nest sits well up in a conifer rather than on the ground, a female disturbed at the nest will drag a wing and stumble away as if injured, a distraction trick more typical of ground-nesting birds. The species breeds most readily during spruce budworm outbreaks, which may recur only once every forty years or so, so its scarce and irregular nesting in Vermont may simply reflect the long quiet stretches between outbreaks rather than any real decline.
- Status in VT: Increased by 33% (3 to 4 blocks). Occurs only in the Northeastern Highlands.
- Data from other research: No additional data for VT.
- Conservation status: State rank S2B; SGCN-M
- Other atlases: NY: -63%; ON: no sig. change; ON (Northern Shield): 22%
- VT’s role in North American range: VT is within the core of the range.
- Causes of change since first Atlas: Unknown. Potential threats: harvesting of spruce-fir forests; reduction in prey due to spraying to control spruce budworm outbreaks (?).
- Management/Monitoring recommendations: No current recommendations.
First Vermont Breeding Bird Atlas (1976-1981)
Second Vermont Breeding Bird Atlas (2003 – 2007)
Change in Distribution
