Photo: Male Black-throated blue warbler by Dixie Sommers
Black-throated Blue Warbler
(Setophaga caerulescens)
Female Black-throated blue warbler, Photo by Tom Murray
Conservation Status: Species of Concern (wording? not SGCN or T&E)
A buzzy drawl wafts through the air on a mild Appalachian morning, signaling the presence of a Black-throated Blue Warbler. This shrub-nesting denizen of Virginia’s mountain region has an affinity for dense ericaceous shrub cover such as rhododendron and mountain laurel, and has a slight positive association with forest cover. In Virginia it is less likely to be found near developed areas or in areas where topography varies greatly. Territorial behavior can begin in early May, with young fledged by August.
Black-throated blue warblers are associated with forested habitat that includes shrubs such as mountain laurel.
Breeding Distribution
Although relatively widespread across the Commonwealth during migration, the Black-throated Blue Warbler is range-restricted during the breeding season, as reflected by the low percentage of total blocks in which it was documented. The species nests in the mountainous part of the state, as far east as the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Within this footprint, its population has expanded geographically across the two Atlas periods, with a 60% jump in the number of blocks in which it was detected. Its probability of occurrence tracks well with those sites within the mountain region that are at higher elevations.
Figure 1. Habitat Associations
Population Status
The species reaches its highest densities in areas of higher elevation (slopes and ridgelines) in the mountainous region of Virginia. The population is stable in Virginia and in the broader Appalachian region, and is estimated to number XX pairs in the Commonwealth.
Modeled Population Density
Fig. 5. Probability of Occurrence- Second Atlas
Fig. 6. Occupancy Model - First Atlas