Michigan conservationists address decline in state's Kirtland's warbler population

CBS News

7 days ago

The Kirtland's warbler, a colorful songbird that mostly resides in Michigan, is facing a decline in population, a bird count taken in June shows.
In response to the circumstances, a team of conservation experts is working on a long-term plan to stabilize the population. This effort will include habitat monitoring and planning among state agencies, federal agencies and nonprofit groups.
The conservation team's goal is to maintain at least 1,000 breeding pairs of the species. The 2021 population was estimated at 2,245 breeding pairs. The 2025 count, which took place in June, is estimated at 1,489 breeding pairs in U.S. lands, with only a few in Canada.
"This is a situation we've been monitoring and addressing for several years now," said Erin Victory, a wildlife biologist and Kirtland's warbler management coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "We are confident we have enough tools and resources available to us, collectively within the conservation team, to reverse the decline and stabilize the population."
About 98% of the Kirtland's warbler population lives in Michigan, with just a few in Wisconsin and Ontario. The ground nesting species prefers to breed among jack pine forests, a habitat that can be found among several counties in northern Lower Michigan and federally-managed lands. Specifically, the birds seek out jack pine stands that are about six to 20 years old, a growth pattern that historically happened through wildfire cycles.
A census of the species takes place every two to four years, with volunteers and government staff using calls of the male bird to count the breeding pairs.
Through this work, the bird population was considered to have dropped to less than 200 pairs in the 1970s and again in the 1980s. One of the steps that has been taken is monitoring its preferred habitat for an influx of cowbirds that can push out the Kirtland's warbler young.
Another step is to clear-cut mature jack pine through timber sales, followed by planting jack pine seedlings, with the long-range schedule meant to build up ideal habitat.
"While a population decline is not what we wanted to see this census, it is encouraging that we already understand the principal cause and conservation team members are taking steps to address the issue," said Steve Roels, coordinator of the Kirtland's Warbler Conservation Team and Kirtland's warbler program director for the American Bird Conservancy.