BIRD OF THE MONTH - Palm Warbler

A warbler that doesn’t act like one, the Palm Warbler spends its time walking on the ground, wagging its tail up and down.

This brownish-olive bird has a bright rusty cap and a bold pale eyebrow stripe. They breed mainly in Canada’s boreal forest, but most people see them during migration or on wintering grounds foraging in open areas.

You may see two forms: an eastern subspecies that’s bright yellow below, and a more western subspecies with a pale belly. Though the Palm Warbler’s name might imply it is a tropical bird, it’s actually one of the northernmost breeding of all warblers (only the Blackpoll Warbler breeds farther north). They got their name from J. P. Gmelin who named them based on a specimen collected on Hispaniola, a Caribbean island with a lot of palm trees.

Palm Warblers breed in bogs and areas with scattered evergreen trees and thick ground cover in the boreal forest. During migration they stop in weedy fields, forest edges, fence rows, and other areas with scattered trees and shrubs. Palm Warblers place their nests on the ground nestled in peat moss, usually at the base of a small tree or shrub. Male Palm Warblers sing a buzzy trill that some liken to a Chipping Sparrow song.