Status and Habitat use of the Wayne's Black-Throated Green Warbler in the Northern Portion of the South Atlantic Coastal Plain

Abstract

Dendroica virens waynei (Wayne's Warbler) is a unique, disjunct subspecies of Dendroica viren virens (Black-throated Green Warbler) that is restricted to the South Atlantic Coastal Plain from southeastern Virginia to South Carolina. We surveyed a network of 265 fi xed-radius plots to examine seasonal occurrence, spatial distribution, and patterns of habitat use by Black-throated Green Warblers. Survey plots were chosen to represent the full gradient of forest types within the region. Plots were surveyed 7 times between early April and mid-June, 2001. Detections of Black-throated Green Warblers began in early April, increased to a peak in late April, and then declined throughout May and early June. Birds were detected during 251 (13.5%) of 1862 point counts conducted. Detections were widespread and included 114 of 266 (52.6%) survey plots. Forest composition had a signifi cant infl uence on the distribution of breeding sites. The frequency of plots classifi ed as breeding sites was higher than expected for plots containing Pinus taeda (Loblolly Pine), Chamaecyparis thyoides (Atlantic White Cedar), and Taxodium distichum (Bald Cypress). The density of these tree species within survey plots was signifi cantly higher for plots classifi ed as breeding sites compared to plots classifi ed as unoccupied. This response was particularly signifi cant when all three tree species were combined.