Forest and Rangeland Birds of the United States

Natural History and Habitat Use

Magnolia Warbler -- Dendroica magnolia


RANGE: Breeds from northeastern British Columbia, west-central and southern Mackenzie east to north-central Manitoba and south-central and eastern Quebec, and south to south-central British Columbia, central Saskatchewan, northeastern Minnesota, central Michigan, western Virginia, northwestern New Jersey, and Connecticut. Winters from Mexico to Panama.

STATUS: Common.

HABITAT: Inhabits open coniferous or mixed coniferous-deciduous woodlands, preferring spruce and fir forests with low trees, and coniferous bogs. Also inhabits dense thickets of spruce and fir, old clearings with small coniferous saplings, second-growth following logging, woodland edges, and coniferous thickets along roadsides.

SPECIAL HABITAT REQUIREMENTS: Young conifer stands for nesting.

NEST: Conceals nest in a small conifer, in foliage near the tip of a horizontal branch, generally 1 to 8 feet, but typically less than 5 feet, above the ground. Prefers spruce, fir, and hemlock for nesting, but may use hardwoods.

FOOD: Tends to forage near the center of a tree for insects, rather than at the outer edges; almost entirely insectivorous.

REFERENCES: Bent 1953a, DeGraff et al. 1980, Griscom and Sprunt 1979, Johnsgard 1979, Petersen in Farrand 1983c.


Previous Section -- Family Emberizidae
Return to Family List
Return to Contents