Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendroica dominica)

Status: State Endangered (1989).

Occurrence: Rare spring migrant south; accidental fall migrant south. Rare summer resident south. In Wisconsin, all records, except one in Outagamie County in 1959, have come from the southern counties south of a line from Prairie du Chein through Baraboo to Sheboygan. Nests have been found in Grant and Rock counties

Aid to ID: The yellow-throated warbler is distinguished by its yellow throat, white belly, and black and white head. Black streaks border the breast. They also have a white stripe over the eye, two white wing bars and black stripes on the sides.

Habitat: Southern silver-maple/elm forests.

Food Habits: Diet includes beetles, moths, flies, grasshoppers, crickets, and spiders; gleans much of its food from leaves and branches.

Natural History:

Breeding: Clutch size: 3-5 dull green-white or gray-white eggs speckled and blotched with lavender, gray, and wine red; laid from May to June. Incubation: 12-13 days. Young fledge 8 days after hatching.
Nest: Made of grasses, bark strips, and weed stems, lined with plant down and feathers. Placed 10-120 feet above ground on a horizontal branch.

Management Considerations: Prior to 1970, this bird was not recorded more than two times per decade. Seven observations were recorded in the 1970s and 12 more were recorded between 1980 and 1987. Proof of breeding in Rock County led the Bureau of Endangered Resources to add this species to the Wisconsin endangered species list. Within its range in Wisconsin, this bird's status has changed from "accidental" to "casual" to "rare". Preservation of large unfragmented bottomland forests will benefit this neotropical migrant.