AUDUBON’S WARBLER

Setophaga auduboni auduboni

Status: Fairly common regular spring and fall migrant west and west central, uncommon east central, rare casual east. Uncommon regular breeder northwest. Rare casual winter visitor west central.

Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM6847, 21 May 1900 Sioux Co.

Taxonomy: See discussion under Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler here. 

Birds breeding in Nebraska were assigned to subspecies memorabilis by AOU (1957); this poorly differentiated eastern race is now considered synonymous with auduboni within the Audubon’s Warbler group (Pyle 1997).

Spring: Apr 21, 23, 23 <<<>>> summer (Pine Ridge); Apr 13, 14, 16 <<<>>> Jun 5, 5, 6 (elsewhere)

Earlier dates elsewhere are 3 Apr 2024 Crescent Lake NWR, Garden Co, 5 April 2024 Lake Ogallala, Keith Co, and 9 Apr 2022 Dundy Co. For Mar dates, see Winter.

Later dates elsewhere are all from the Wildcat Hills, Scotts Bluff Co (see Summer), except for 10 Jun 2010 western Cherry Co.

Migration occurs mostly in May, and stragglers occur in the east. Extreme dates for migrants at Barr Lake, Colorado are 7 Apr and 6 Jun (Andrews et al 2002).

There are 19 reports for the east 16 Apr-16 May; the 12 documented records are 18 Apr 2011 South Bend, Cass Co, 18 Apr 2011 Platte River SP, Cass Co, 21 Apr 2019 photo Lancaster Co, 26 Apr 2024 Douglas Co, 28 Apr 2019 Howard Co, 25 Apr 2013 Lancaster Co, 27 Apr 2015 photo Omaha, Douglas Co, 3 May 2017 Dodge Co, 4 May 2011 Knox Co, 6 May 2022 Douglas Co, 7 May 2021 Fontenelle Forest, Sarpy Co, and 16 May 2015 Madison Co.

In the eastern Rainwater Basin there are three reports 15 Apr-13 May (Jorgensen 2012), and, in Lincoln Co, Tout (1947) cited occurrence 23 Apr-10 May. At NNF Bessey, Thomas Co, it occurs regularly in spring and fall (Bray 1994). We believe Ludlow’s (1935) description of this taxon as a “common migrant” in Webster County with reports 18 Apr-21 May doubtful that far east.

• High counts: 37 at Oliver Reservoir, Kimball Co 4 May 2024, 21 at Gering Cemetery, Scotts Bluff Co 2 May 2024, and 18 at Gering Cemetery, Scotts Bluff Co 8 May 2023.

Summer: Audubon’s Warbler breeds in open ponderosa pine woods, with a preference for areas near deciduous trees (Johnsgard 1979), on the Pine Ridge in Sioux, Dawes, and Sheridan Cos. During the first BBA for the period 1984-1989 (Mollhoff 2001a), reports were from Sioux and Dawes Cos, but breeding was not confirmed in Sheridan Co until the second BBA period 2006-2011 (Mollhoff 2016). It was present in summer in Sheridan Co in 1992 and 1993. Reports of breeding apart from the BBAs include a nest with eggs near Warbonnet Canyon, Sioux Co 27 Jun 1901 (Cary; UNSM ZM9092; Mollhoff 2022), one of a pair along Pants Butte Road, Sioux Co carrying food 6 Jul 2002, and a nest with half-grown young 12 Jun 1999 in West Ash Canyon, Dawes Co (Mollhoff 2001b).

In the Wildcat Hills of Scotts Bluff, Banner, and Morrill Cos, both the first and second BBAs showed a total of six reports, (Mollhoff 2001a, 2016), although nesting there has not been confirmed. There are 29 Scotts Bluff Co reports Jun-Jul, apart from those in the BBAs, beginning 4 Jul 1992, 25 of these 2017 through 2024. One was in the Banner Co section 7 Jul 2001.

There are a few older undocumented reports Jun-Aug away from the breeding range.

• Breeding phenology:
  Nest building: 20 May
• Eggs: 30 May-27 Jun
  Nestlings: 7-12 Jun
  Fledglings: 28-30 Jun

Fall: Aug 21, 21, 22 (away from Pine Ridge) <<<>>> Nov 3, 3, 3 

Later dates are 10 Nov 2023 Oliver Reservoir, Kimball Co, 14 Nov 2023 (4) Sutherland Reservoir, Lincoln Co, and 23 Nov 2023 Ogallala, Keith Co. The latest specimen date for Audubon’s Warbler is 27 Sep 1920 Sioux Co (UNSM ZM6844).

Individuals appear in the Panhandle away from breeding areas in late Aug. Tout (1947) cited occurrence 24 Sep-Oct 9 in Lincoln Co. Extreme dates at Barr Lake, Colorado, are 6 Sep and 23 Nov (Andrews et al 2002).

Rosche (1994) stated that Audubon’s is “much scarcer” than Myrtle in the Keith Co area in fall and departs earlier than Myrtle.

The only reports from the east are 18 Sep 2021 Douglas Co, 2 Oct 2020 Lancaster Co, two on 11 Oct 1934 Webster Co (Ludlow 1935), 17 Oct 2018 Knox Co, and 3 Nov 2014 Wayne Co. One was at Bader Park, Merrick Co 26 Sep 2023.

• High counts: 32 at Oliver Reservoir, Kimball Co 20 Sep 2003, 30 there 26 Sep 2023, and 24 at Rock Creek SRA, Dundy Co 27 Sep 2020.

Winter: There are 19 records Dec-Mar, including 10 from the Lake McConaughy area, Keith Co, and three at Sutherland Reservoir, Lincoln Co. Others are 2 Dec 2023 Pleasanton, Buffalo Co, 15 Dec 1979 Scotts Bluff CBC, 15 Dec 2015 Branched Oak Lake, Lancaster Co, 18 Feb 2018 Lincoln Co, 1 Mar 2012 Lincoln Co, and 18-25 Mar 2013 Lincoln Co.

These records suggest wintering may occur in Lincoln Co and in Keith Co. A good count was the seven at Sutherland Reservoir 22 Dec 2023. Maps in eBird show numerous Jan-Feb records in northeastern Colorado (eBird.org, accessed Jan 2024).

Images

Abbreviations

BBA: Breeding Bird Atlas
CBC: Christmas Bird Count
NNF: Nebraska National Forest
SRA: State Recreation Area
SP: State Park
UNSM: University of Nebraska State Museum
WMA: Wildlife management Area

Literature Cited

Andrews, R., R. Righter, M. Carter, T. Leukering, and A. Banks. 2002. Birds of Barr Lake and Surrounding Areas 1888 through 1999. Ornithological Monograph No. 1, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, Brighton, Colorado, USA.

American Ornithologists’ Union [AOU]. 1957. The AOU Check-list of North American birds, 5th ed. Port City Press, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Bray, T.E. 1994. Habitat utilization by birds in a man-made forest in the Nebraska Sandhills. M.S. thesis, University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Johnsgard, P.A. 1979. Birds of the Great Plains: breeding species and their distribution. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Jorgensen, J.G. 2012. Birds of the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Ludlow, C.S. 1935. A quarter-century of bird migration records at Red Cloud, Nebraska. NBR 3: 3-25.

Mollhoff, W.J. 2001a. The Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas 1984-1989. Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Occasional Papers No. 7. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Mollhoff, W.J. 2001b. 1999-2000 Nebraska nesting report. NBR 69: 92-101.

Mollhoff, W.J. 2016. The Second Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas. Bull. Univ. Nebraska State Museum Vol 29. University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Mollhoff, W.J. 2022. Nest records of Nebraska birds. Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Occasional Paper Number 9.

Pyle, P. 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds. Part I, Columbidae to Ploceidae. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, California, USA.

Rosche, R.C. 1994. Birds of the Lake McConaughy area and the North Platte River valley, Nebraska. Published by the author, Chadron, Nebraska, USA.

Tout, W. 1947. Lincoln County birds. Published by the author, North Platte, Nebraska, USA.

Recommended Citation

Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2024. Audubon’s Warbler (Setophaga auduboni). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org

Birds of Nebraska – Online

Updated 21 Aug 2024