Kirtlands+Warbler

media type="custom" key="3680143" By Tyler S

The Kirkland Warbler is about 6-6 in and the weight is about 0.44 ounces. Sexes similar female paler and lack black in front of eyes are present on the male. Warblers are a small blue-gray bird with a bright yellow breast and a black streak on its back. The male's chest is brighter than the females, and they also have a black mask. Male and female have a distinct white-ish eye-ring split in front and behind. It also has yellow below with white under tail coverts, the sides of flanks are spotted. The warblers gray plumage becomes mixed with brown in autumn. You can find it in Michigan in the jack pines. The jack pine forest community provides the primary jack pines stands over 80 acres in size. These stands have dense clumps of trees interspersed with numerous small, grassy openings, sedges, ferns, and low shrubs. For winter leaving about the start of September, they migrate to pine forest in the Bahamas and in nearby Turks and Caico islands. These birds eat insects and some berries, also eating fruit in winter. Since the mid 19th century, the Kirkland warbler has become a restricted-range endemic species. It was one of the 1st to be listed as endangered after the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The two main reasons the kirtland warbler is in danger of becoming extinct are Humans and Cowbird Parasitism. In the past years, humans had mis-managed the forest resulting in a shortage of nesting areas. This bird is very picky on where they nest. The northern lower peninsula of Michigan is the only place in the world they nest. Another reason for decline is Cowbird Parasitism. This bird is brown headed and has spread from the Great Plains into Michigan and is causing problems for the warblers. They lay their eggs in warbler area and then the warblers raise the cowbird young instead of theirs.