Pine Warbler

Setophaga pinus

Many Pine Warblers are resident in the southern United States year-round. After the breeding season, birds that spent the spring and summer raising families in southern Canada and northern USA will fly south. There, they may join forces with the southern birds, sometimes forming large flocks of 50 to 100 or more.

Pine Warblers are the only warblers that eat large quantities of seeds, primarily those of pines. Unlike almost all other warblers, this means they sometimes will visit bird feeders.

Taxonomists have identified four subspecies of Pine Warbler.

• S. p. pinus breeds from Manitoba and east across southern Canada to New Brunswick and south from east Texas to Florida. Some populations are found south of Oklahoma, and east to the southern Tennessee border and central North Carolina. In southern Virginia and Delaware they are largely resident 
• S. p. florida is resident on the Florida peninsula.
• S. p. achrustera is a permanent resident in the Bahama Islands.
• S. p. chrysoleuca is resident in highland pine forests of Hispaniola, in Dominican Republic.

In May-2023, I spent a lovely week at the Ontario community of Tiny Beach. There, on the shore of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay I enjoyed meeting Pine Warblers. So far, those were my only encounters. I hope one day to meet them again.