Animalia Life

Dendroica kirtlandii
SUBFAMILY
Parulinae
TAXONOMY
Dendroica kirtlandii Baird, 1852, Ohio.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Paruline de Kirtland; German: Michiganwaldsдnger; Spanish: Reinita Kirtland.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
A dark gray and yellow bird that reaches 6 in (15.3) in length. The body is essentially split by color, with gray above and yellow below. The underparts are mostly yellow with a bit of gray streaking along the sides. Males are more brightly colored than the females and sport a dark mask, which the females lack.
DISTRIBUTION
Breeds in numbers only in central Michigan. Winters primarily in the Bahamas.
HABITAT
Jack pine stands, preferring those with younger trees.
BEHAVIOR
Frequently spotted among jack pine trees, searching for insects and pecking at sap, which they also consume. The males have a distinctive, loud, and somewhat low-pitched song.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Mainly insects, but also some plant materials and berries.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeding begins shortly after the birds’ arrival in the spring. They build their cup-shaped nests of grass and other plant materials, and conceal them on the ground beneath the branches of young jack pines. Clutch size is generally four or five speckled eggs that are either white or tinged with pink. Hatching occurs about two weeks later.
CONSERVATION STATUS
The IUCN Red List for 2000 lists the birds as Vulnerable, an improvement from their 1990 and 1994 rankings of Endangered. The upgraded status results, at least in part, from efforts to improve their habitat. These efforts have included periodic burns of jack pine stands to trigger the stubborn cones to open, release their seeds, and start new growth. Despite the increase in breeding pairs, the species’ range is still small enough to warrant the Vulnerable status. It is also one of the birds that has fallen victim to the cowbird’s brood parasitism.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
They have become the source of some economic benefit in Michigan, as the birds attract visitors, who wish to catch a glimpse of this “poster child” of United States at-risk species.

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