Cerulean Warbler

cerwar
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Each map is a visual guide to where a particular bird species may find the climate conditions it needs to survive in the future. We call this the bird’s “climatic range.”

The colors indicate the season in which the bird may find suitable conditions— blue for winter, yellow for summer (breeding), and green for where they overlap (indicating their presence year-round).

The darker the shaded area, the more likely it is the bird species will find suitable climate conditions to survive there.

 

The outline of the approximate current range for each season remains fixed in each frame, allowing you to compare how the range will expand, contract, or shift in the future.

 

The first frame of the animation shows where the bird can find a suitable climate today (based on data from 2000). The next three frames predict where this bird’s suitable climate may shift in the future—one frame each for 2020, 2050, and 2080.

You can play or pause the animation with the orange button in the lower left, or select an individual frame to study by clicking on its year.

Climate Threatened

Cerulean Warbler

The darker the color, the more favorable the climate conditions are for survival. The outlined areas represent approximate current range for each season. More on reading these maps.

The darker the color, the more favorable the climate conditions are for survival. The outlined areas represent approximate current range for each season.

More on reading these maps.
Winter
Summer

Winter Range
Summer Range
Both Seasons
Zoom InOut
Focal Species
Mdf/Wikimedia Creative Commons
Cool Facts

Often hops around the forest, going from vine to vine to maneuver through the tree canopy.

Both the male and female can be very aggressive in defending the nesting territory, even physically attacking other Cerulean Warblers that invade the territory.

Though monogamous, this warbler will not necessarily mate with the same bird every breeding season.

The female collects spider and caterpillar silk to build her nest.


By 2080, this already declining Neotropical migrant is projected to have 98 percent of its current summer range shifted away from the current core, but it has potential to expand in the north, according to Audubon’s climate model. Mature hardwood forests that the bird depends on may not exist to the north and the forests expansion may not keep pace with the changing climate.

 

Are the projected range maps different from the range maps in field guides? Find the answer here.

Species Range Change from 2000 to 2080

The size of the circles roughly indicates the species’ range size in 2000 (left) and 2080 (right).

The amount of overlap between the 2000 circle and the 2080 circle indicates how stable the range will be geographically. Lots of overlap means the bird’s range doesn’t shift much. No overlap means the species will leave its current range entirely.

About This Bird

Each spring this small blue forest bird travels from the northern Andes mountains to the eastern United States to breed. More of a treetop bird than most warblers, the Cerulean usually stays high in tall deciduous trees on the breeding grounds, where it is most easily detected by the male’s buzzy song. The male has the iconic cerulean plumage with white breast feathers, while the female has distinctly yellow undertone to her blue plumage and white lines over each of her eyes. An insectivore, it preys on insects it finds on leaves, occasionally eating fatty plant bits to supplement its diet when it needs extra energy during migration.

Cool Facts

Often hops around the forest, going from vine to vine to maneuver through the tree canopy.

Both the male and female can be very aggressive in defending the nesting territory, even physically attacking other Cerulean Warblers that invade the territory.

Though monogamous, this warbler will not necessarily mate with the same bird every breeding season.

The female collects spider and caterpillar silk to build her nest.


Birds at Risk

Explore more birds threatened by climate change around the country.

Allen's Hummingbird
Baird's Sparrow
Bald Eagle
Brown Pelican
Burrowing Owl
Cerulean Warbler
Common Loon
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Golden Eagle
Greater Sage-Grouse
Hooded Oriole
Mississippi Kite
Northern Shoveler
Osprey
Piping Plover
Ruffed Grouse
Rufous Hummingbird
Spotted Owl
Tundra Swan
White-throated Sparrow
Yellow-billed Magpie

You Can Help

It's easier than you think to make a difference. Become an Audubon member today to help birds facing climate change.

Share Your Pledge

Thank you for pledging to help save the birds most at risk from global warming. But we need everyone’s help–and soon.

Share this urgent message with your friends and family. Tell them why these at-risk birds are so important to you, and ask them to pledge to do their part, too.

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