The Blackpoll Warbler: Migratory Olympian
Terrestrial species become more abundant as we move further into Fall Migration. One of my favorites is the Blackpoll Warbler. This is one species we see only in the Fall with a few birds remaining into the Winter months.
I have never seen the male in its stunning breeding plumage on Anguilla. Breeding males are often confused with the Black-and-white Warbler - a species that visits on rare occasions.
Birds of the World describes their plumage as follows:
“Adult male in Alternate plumage has top of head black, remainder of head white with black malar stripe; upperparts gray streaked with black, underparts white with bold black streaks on sides and flanks, dark wings with two white wing bars, and a dark tail with bold white tail-spots. Legs and feet dull orange to yellow. Adult female in Alternate plumage more cryptically colored. Upperparts, wings, and tail olive gray to olive green with blackish streaks on crown, nape, and back. Pale superciliary stripe and dark streaking on malar area. Underparts becoming dull whitish, narrowly streaked with black, and sometimes with buffy or yellowish wash. Wings with two white wing-bars, and tail with white tail-spots. Legs and feet dull orange to yellow.
Female plumage extremely variable. In some, top of head very dark, resembling black cap in male. These individuals are typically the grayest, being devoid of buffy or yellow below or greenish above.
Adult male in Basic plumage has upperparts grayish olive variably streaked with black. Underparts whitish, variably washed with yellow on throat, breast, and flanks and narrowly streaked with black on same area. Face with pale yellowish supercilium and dark eye-line. Wings and tail as in Basic plumage, but tertials more extensively edged with white.
Adult female in Basic plumage similar but with reduced density and size of streaking. Immatures similar to adults of their sex but on average duller, often with dark legs (Basic plumage), and streaking reduced (especially in females).”
“The Blackpoll Warbler occupies an extensive breeding range across the northern coniferous forests of Alaska and Canada, in the transition zone between taiga and tundra, and in subalpine forests and coastal spruce-fir forests of eastern North America. In some areas of its breeding grounds, it is often one of the commonest warblers present, reaching densities of up to 4 pairs per hectare. Blackpolls winter in northern South America, undertaking extraordinarily long fall migrations to get there.”
Thanks to the work of researchers and tracking devices, we know that this bird takes some of the longest non-stop migrations of any songbird. This illustration from a recent paper gives you an idea of the journey involved. (You can read more about their work in the citations at the bottom of the post.)
All About Birds sums it up as follows:
“Blackpoll Warblers are long-distance athletes and they hold the record for the longest overwater flight for a songbird. During the fall, these half-ounce warblers fly nonstop for up to 3 days, covering on average over 1,800 miles over the Atlantic Ocean to reach their wintering grounds in Puerto Rico, the Lesser Antilles, and northern South America. Such a journey requires that they eat enough before they leave to double their body mass.”
I stumbled across two birds feeding at the West End Pond IBA during the most recent Wader Quest World Watch. Movement at the base of the mangrove inside the pond and the insect-like call alerted me to their presence. It took a bit of patience, but they eventually popped out into a small clearing by a rock giving the above views. What a treat!
Anguilla is an important stopover spot for this species and some individuals spend several months here. It is quite possible we are their first stop after a very long journey making Anguilla’s wetlands critical to their suvival.
Have you seen Blackpoll Warblers? Please share your experiences in the comments below.
This spring I saw male Blackpolls in breeding plumage for the first time. They're more common in the fall here in western Pennsylvania. It's a gorgeous bird that, at first glance, might be mistaken for a chickadee
Fascinating!