Chestnut-sided Warbler (CSWA)
Setophaga pensylvanica
Range
The breeding range of the Chestnut-sided Warbler spans from southern Canada through the Appalachian Mountains to Georgia. They migrate through the central and eastern U.S. with their wintering range beginning in southern Mexico on the Atlantic Slope through Panama, occasionally wintering in the eastern Caribbean.
Additional Maps
Identification
Chestnut-sided Warblers are small, stocky birds with stout beaks. Breeding males have light-gray underparts and yellow and gray streaked wings and upperparts. They have distinctive chestnut feathers at the base of wings, black masks, and vibrant yellow caps. Breeding females have similar plumage to male individuals with gray masks and darker caps. Immature Chestnut-sided Warblers lack the black mask and have smaller or absent chestnut plumage. Male Chestnut-sided Warblers give two songs, one described as a Pleased-pleased-pleased-to-meetcha! or I-wish-to-meet-Miss-Beecher! The song has an accented ending, indicated by the exclamation point. The other sounds similar to the first, but lacks the accented ending, making it sound similar to a typical Yellow Warbler song. The accented song is heard most often in the spring with males using it to attract females then switching to the unaccented song later in the season.
Habitat
Chestnut-sided Warblers breed in young deciduous habitats and thickets, often in places regenerating after logging, fire, flooding, or storm damage. Due to the temporary nature of this environment, they are rarely present for more than 10 years in any area. Chestnut-sided Warblers move into regenerating areas soon after disturbances with even small patches of habitat able to support a nesting pair. When migrating, they can be found in wooded or shrubby habitats including mature forests. During the wintering season they often reside on shade-coffee plantations, scrubby edge habitats, successional habitats, and mature wet forests.
Conservation Status
- Listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Listed as Secure by NatureServe Explorer
- Listed as Least Concern by BirdLife International
Status by State
- Listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015 Delaware Wildlife Action Plan
- Listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015 Massachusetts Wildlife Action Plan
- Listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015 New Hampshire Wildlife Action Plan
- Listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015-2025 Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan
- Listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015 Rhode Island Wildlife Action Plan
- Listed as High Priority by the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife
Threats to Conservation
Chestnut-sided Warblers have experienced an annual decline of 1.2% between 1966 and 2015 or a cumulative decline of 45%, leaving them with a current estimated population of 18 million and making them a species of low conservation concern. This population decline is likely due to habitat loss, primarily in the east where forests have matured. Like most songbirds that migrate nocturnally, Chestnut-sided Warblers are particularly susceptible to building or structure strikes.
Funding Opportunities
- America the Beautiful Challenge
- Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) Mini Grant
- Conservation Nation Grant Program
- Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program
- Conservation Reserve Program
- Delaware River Program
- Delaware River Watershed Initiative
- Habitat Management Grants Program
- Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant Program
- Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative Small Grant Program
- LPCG Conservation Easement Assistance Program
- MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant Program
- The Migratory Bird Program
- Natural Areas Research Grant
- Natural Legacy Program
- Nature Works
- Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grant
- NFWF Grants Library
- Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund
- Partners for Fish and Wildlife Grant
- Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
- Tribal Wildlife Grants
- Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative
- Wildlife Habitat Grant Program
- Woody Habitat Program