Pine Warbler
Pine Warbler has surged: up 166% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Pine Warbler
The Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus) 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 1,507 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 32 states, most concentrated in the Southeastern Coastal Plain.
- Family
- Parulidae · Forest birds
Notable Pine Warbler Trends
Pine Warbler has surged in surveyed states: up 166% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Pine Warbler Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Pine Warbler is projected to rise about 10% by 2029 — from 2.8 in 2024 to a central estimate of 3.1 (95% range 2.6–3.6). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±4.8%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| 2026 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| 2027 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.5 |
| 2028 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.6 |
| 2029 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.6 |
Where the Pine Warbler Is Detected
BBS routes recording Pine Warbler, sized by most recent count.
Pine Warbler Population Trend by State
| Alabama | +276% | 1968 | 107 |
| Arkansas | +223% | 1969 | 46 |
| Connecticut | 32× | 1980 | 19 |
| Delaware | +439% | 1968 | 16 |
| Florida | +26% | 1968 | 103 |
| Georgia | +408% | 1968 | 111 |
| Illinois | -19% | 1975 | 8 |
| Indiana | +253% | 1986 | 8 |
| Kentucky | +42% | 1969 | 38 |
| Louisiana | +71% | 1969 | 60 |
| Maine | 80× | 1973 | 57 |
| Maryland | +278% | 1968 | 51 |
| Massachusetts | +499% | 1968 | 28 |
| Michigan | 39× | 1969 | 77 |
| Minnesota | +487% | 1969 | 34 |
| Mississippi | +374% | 1968 | 62 |
| Missouri | 13× | 1973 | 31 |
| New Hampshire | 58× | 1968 | 23 |
| New Jersey | +261% | 1968 | 29 |
| New York | 15× | 1968 | 73 |
| North Carolina | +130% | 1968 | 104 |
| Ohio | +789% | 1985 | 16 |
| Oklahoma | 11× | 1969 | 12 |
| Pennsylvania | +904% | 1970 | 68 |
| Rhode Island | +489% | 1968 | 5 |
| South Carolina | +353% | 1968 | 50 |
| Tennessee | 18× | 1968 | 45 |
| Texas | +145% | 1969 | 46 |
| Vermont | 22× | 1969 | 21 |
| Virginia | +41% | 1968 | 75 |
| West Virginia | -65% | 1968 | 24 |
| Wisconsin | 22× | 1968 | 60 |
Pine Warbler Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | 13× | 1968 | 118 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | 14× | 1974 | 36 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | 60× | 1968 | 117 |
| Oaks and Prairies | +468% | 1978 | 16 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | +153% | 2008 | 6 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | 14× | 1969 | 53 |
| Central Hardwoods | 16× | 1968 | 100 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | +203% | 1969 | 104 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | +396% | 1971 | 18 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | +223% | 1968 | 343 |
| Appalachian Mountains | +127% | 1968 | 244 |
| Piedmont | +310% | 1968 | 136 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +421% | 1968 | 148 |
| Peninsular Florida | +36% | 1968 | 58 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | +97% | 1971 | 10 |
Pine Warbler Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 166% 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.