Bird Conservation – Kentucky Warbler

The Kentucky Warbler (Oporornis formosus) is a secretive eastern wood warbler that has shown steady declines over the last 30 years. The total population as of 2004 is around 1,100,000.

Some important breeding areas for Kentucky Warblers include;

• Guyandotte Mountain Area (West Virginia)
• Tensas NWR (Louisiana)
• Bogue Chitto NWR (Louisiana)
• Big Thicket National Preserve (Texas)
• Hatchie NWR (Tennessee)
• Wapanocca NWR (Alabama)

Some protected wintering areas include;

• Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve (Quintana Roo, Mexico)
• Maya Biosphere Reserve (Guatemala)
• Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area (Belize)
• Darien National Park (Panama)
• Portobelo National Park (Panama)

The biggest threat to the Kentucky Warbler is habitat loss, fragmentation and parasitism from Brown-headed Cowbirds.

Some ways to help the Kentucky Warbler recover

1. Increase bottomland forest habitat
2. Slow deforestation of wintering habitat
3. Create a Citizen Science project to develop a baseline inventory of breeding and wintering populations
4. Increase educational awareness in the main areas they are found
5. Support the National Wildlife Refuges and other conservation organizations such as Ducks Unlimited and the Nature Conservancy (Buy a Duck Stamp!)

Information gathered from the Birder’s Conservation Handbook by Jeffrey V. Wells.

Photo by Gavatron