Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea)

Abundance: Uncommon.  Decreasing precipitously since at least mid-1960s with cause[s] of decrease imprecisely determined though suspected to include loss of habitat in winter range (Nicholson 2004).

Status: Summer Resident.  Probably breeds in all Regional counties though still not recorded in two Kentucky counties (Clinton and Metcalfe).  Not designated as a species of conservation concern by the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission (2004), but this omission should  be rectified.  Designated as in need of management by the Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage (2004); sight records.

Regional High Count: 106 (4 June 1994; Morgan County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman), a high count probably never again to be equaled or even approached.

Out-of-Season Records: None.

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Spring: 5 April 1892 (number not specified; Pulaski County, Kentucky; observer not cited; Mengel 1965).

    Late Fall: 21 September 2005 (1 singing partial song; Morgan County, Tennessee; Barbara H. Stedman unpubl. data).

    Note: Earliest arriving Ceruleans are usually found at breeding sites by 15-20 April; departs Region extremely early, often not being detected after mid- to late August.  Regional dates of earliest reported arrival and latest reported departure for 2002-2008 follow:

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent). See Nicholson (2004) for many particulars relating to the breeding of this species in the Cumberland Mountains.

Habitat: Steep hillsides with mature deciduous forest, mainly; riparian corridors with mature forest, sparingly.  See Nicholson (2004).

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: four registrations (of 125 possible) during 2003 and nine (of 206 possible) during 2004; these YardWatch totals indicate that the Cerulean Warbler is a Rare (2003) or Very Uncommon (2004) species, not an Uncommon one, in most Regional yards and probably reflect the species' preference for large, unbroken tracts of mature deciduous woodlands, a habitat not found at many Regional sites where YardWatch data were obtained.

Foray Results: Abundance and distribution based on UCR Foray data are mapped as follows:

• Clinton County Foray--12-14 June 2009--no data
• Jackson County Foray--29 May-1 June 2009
• Pickett County Foray--22-25 May 2009
• DeKalb County Foray--23-26 May 2008
• White County Foray--23-26 May 1982
• White County Foray--25-28 May 2007
• TN Portion of UCR as of 2009

Remarks: The rate of population decrease as measured by Breeding Bird Survey data across the continental breeding range 1966-1999 was strongly negative (-4%/year), and this rate of decrease was the greatest among wood warblers in North America (Pardieck and Sauer 2000).  The population trend within the Region appears to roughly mirror the continental trend, but data from within the Region are not entirely consistent on this matter.  Nicholson (2004) pointed to an nonspecific "overall decline" within the Cumberland Mountains from 1994 to 2000, basing his findings in part on results of Breeding Bird Censuses conducted at Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee, during the late 1990s, and in part on results of point counts conducted in Morgan and Scott counties (and Campbell and Anderson counties), Tennessee, during the same period.  Results of a 16-km (10-mi) walking transect conducted 1994-2007 in Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee, reveal a reduction of about 70% in the number of Cerulean Warblers, mainly singing males, counted each year, with most of the reduction taking place at lower elevations (450-600 m [1500-2000 ft]) of the park rather than at higher ones (600-1000 m [2000-3300 ft]) (S. Stedman, pers. data) until 2004; thereafter, reductions in the number of Cerulean Warblers along the route occurred along the upper elevations of the transect also; by 2007 the parts of the transect where most Cerulean Warblers were registered were 1) along the jeep road from Linlog Branch to the upper connection with the Bird Mountain Trail; and 2) along the uppermost three miles of the North Old Mac Trail.   Results from an 82-km (50-mi) driving transect conducted in western Putnam County, Tennessee (2004-2007), appear to support the results from the walking transect in Frozen Head for the years when these two non-standard surveys overlap.  However, results from a 24-stop Breeding Bird Survey conducted along the road to Wolf Knob, Daniel Boone National Forest, Whitley and McCreary counties, Kentucky, 1994-2005, reveal considerable difference in the number of Cerulean Warblers registered from year to year with only a slight (c. 10%) overall decrease.  Additionally, results of the Summer Roadside Survey in Putnam County, Tennessee, display an increase in the number of Cerulean Warblers registered during that survey from 1991 to 2006.

Counties with Observations (boldfaced):

To see a map (Figure 1) displaying the data in the table above, click on the boldfaced word in this sentence.

Literature Cited