Nonbreeding. Note: long supercilium, dark eye line, and yellow undertail coverts.
  • Nonbreeding. Note: long supercilium, dark eye line, and yellow undertail coverts.
  • Breeding. Note: rufous crown as well as yellow throat and undertail coverts.

Hover over to view. Click to enlarge.

Palm Warbler

Dendroica palmarum
Passeriformes
Parulidae
Rare winter west. Casual migrant east.

    General Description

    Palm Warblers are mostly brownish birds, with distinctive, yellow undertail coverts. They have small white corners on their tails that are visible in flight. Eastern birds are bright yellow below with rufous streaks on their breasts; western birds are lightly streaked and drabber in color. They have a dark eye-line through each eye. Adults in breeding plumage have rufous crowns and yellow throats.

    Habitat

    Palm Warblers breed on the edges of boreal-forest bogs. During migration, when they are seen in Washington, they are usually found in hedgerows, thickets, and other edge habitats along the coast, often frequenting thickets of non-native Scots broom.

    Behavior

    Outside of the breeding season, especially during migration, Palm Warblers may join mixed flocks. They are usually found fairly low, in the understory or on the ground. The almost constantly bobbing tail is an excellent field mark.

    Diet

    Palm Warblers eat mostly insects and also some berries.

    Nesting

    Monogamous pairs typically nest on or near the ground. Nests off the ground are often located close to the trunk of small spruces. The female builds an open cup of grass and bark, and lines it with feathers. The nest is usually concealed by a clump of grass or sphagnum moss hummock. Both members of a pair may help incubate 4 to 5 eggs for about 12 days. They both feed the young. The young typically fledge at about 12 days and can fly short distances within a few days of fledging. Pairs generally raise two broods each year.

    Migration Status

    Palm Warblers migrate from their breeding grounds in northern Canada to their wintering grounds in the southeastern United States. It is during fall migration and early winter that they are most likely to be found in Washington.

    Conservation Status

    Numbers appear to be stable. There are currently no major threats to Palm Warblers' habitats as most of their breeding range is remote, and they often winter in open and disturbed areas. They are fairly common within their normal range.

    When and Where to Find in Washington

    Palm Warblers are rare visitors in western Washington, mostly during the fall, where they are uncommon on the outer coast, especially near Ocean Shores (Grays Harbor County). They are considerably more rare in Puget Sound, although one Palm Warbler wintered at the Union Bay Natural Area in Seattle (King County) in 2001.

    Abundance Code DefinitionsAbundance

    C=Common; F=Fairly Common; U=Uncommon; R=Rare; I=Irregular
    EcoregionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
    Oceanic
    Pacific Northwest CoastRRRR RRRR
    Puget Trough
    North Cascades
    West Cascades
    East Cascades
    Okanogan
    Canadian Rockies
    Blue Mountains
    Columbia Plateau

    Washington Range Map

    North American Range Map

    North America map legend