Ovenbird
Ovenbird has increased: up 46% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Ovenbird
The Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) is a North American member of the Wood-Warblers (Parulidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 4.5–5.5 in long (11–14 cm) — a small, active songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 1,618 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 39 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Parulidae · Forest birds
Notable Ovenbird Trends
No notable trend signals for Ovenbird. See the full index history below.
Ovenbird Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Ovenbird is projected to rise about 12% by 2029 — from 4.5 in 2024 to a central estimate of 5.0 (95% range 4.4–5.7). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±9.5%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 5.6 |
| 2026 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 5.6 |
| 2027 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 5.6 |
| 2028 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 5.7 |
| 2029 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 5.7 |
Where the Ovenbird Is Detected
BBS routes recording Ovenbird, sized by most recent count.
Ovenbird Population Trend by State
| Alabama | -82% | 1968 | 41 |
| Arkansas | +10% | 1969 | 32 |
| Colorado | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Connecticut | +70% | 1968 | 20 |
| Delaware | +188% | 1968 | 17 |
| Georgia | +155% | 1970 | 43 |
| Illinois | -41% | 1969 | 30 |
| Indiana | +983% | 1969 | 32 |
| Iowa | -16% | 1973 | 10 |
| Kansas | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Kentucky | +55% | 1968 | 50 |
| Maine | +108% | 1968 | 78 |
| Maryland | +166% | 1968 | 76 |
| Massachusetts | +204% | 1968 | 32 |
| Michigan | +105% | 1968 | 98 |
| Minnesota | +129% | 1969 | 68 |
| Mississippi | -11% | 1975 | 6 |
| Missouri | 20× | 1969 | 65 |
| Montana | +295% | 1981 | 20 |
| Nebraska | -37% | 1980 | 11 |
| New Hampshire | +12% | 1968 | 26 |
| New Jersey | +422% | 1968 | 41 |
| New Mexico | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New York | +130% | 1968 | 125 |
| North Carolina | +192% | 1968 | 105 |
| North Dakota | -53% | 1981 | 17 |
| Ohio | 15× | 1968 | 53 |
| Oklahoma | +53% | 1969 | 7 |
| Pennsylvania | +520% | 1968 | 133 |
| Rhode Island | +347% | 1968 | 5 |
| South Carolina | +351% | 1969 | 34 |
| South Dakota | -23% | 1969 | 16 |
| Tennessee | +32% | 1968 | 38 |
| Utah | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Vermont | +144% | 1968 | 26 |
| Virginia | +157% | 1968 | 87 |
| West Virginia | +171% | 1968 | 63 |
| Wisconsin | +83% | 1968 | 91 |
| Wyoming | +780% | 1971 | 14 |
Ovenbird Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Rockies | +6% | 1983 | 15 |
| Prairie Potholes | -21% | 1975 | 23 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | +67% | 1968 | 127 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | +177% | 1968 | 80 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | +78% | 1968 | 156 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -56% | 1971 | 7 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +6% | 1969 | 42 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | +12% | 1987 | 4 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | +143% | 1969 | 84 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +87% | 1968 | 126 |
| Central Hardwoods | +282% | 1968 | 123 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | -4% | 1969 | 22 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | +366% | 1968 | 107 |
| Appalachian Mountains | +307% | 1968 | 393 |
| Piedmont | +140% | 1968 | 141 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +144% | 1968 | 159 |
Ovenbird Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 46% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.