Bachman's Warbler - Conservation

Conservation

Bachman’s Warbler was originally collected by John Bachman in 1832 and described by Audubon in 1833. However, it remained largely unknown until the mid 1880s. It is believed that selective logging in the 1800s briefly benefited the species by providing more habitat. It was frequently seen in its breeding habitat from the mid 1880s to 1910. However, when clear-cutting began replacing selective logging, sightings of this species grew scarce. By the 1930s, sightings were rare, and in 1940 the last definite winter sighting was recorded. The last male specimen was collected on March 21, 1941 on Deer Island, Mississippi, while the last female specimen was collected on February 28, 1940 on Ship Island, Mississippi.

Reports of birds from the Missouri and Arkansas breeding grounds lasted through the 1940s, while birds were reported breeding in South Carolina’s I’on Swamp until 1953. Individuals were reported from Fairfax County, Virginia in 1954 and 1958, and a male was seen singing near I’on Swamp in April 1962. On March 30, 1977 an immature female was seen in Brevard County, Florida.

This species is threatened due to habitat destruction. Clearcutting of its habitat and the draining of swamps via water channels are the two main causes of this habitat destruction. While it is unknown whether habitat change in its wintering grounds of Cuba affected the species, it is believed that a winter hurricane in the 1930s could have been a crippling blow for the species, making them too rare to find each other and mate.

Bachman's Warbler is possibly extinct, and was most likely never common. Bachman's Warbler's last stronghold was in I'on Swamp, South Carolina. Habitat destruction was probably the main cause of its disappearance. Its extinction is not yet officially announced, because habitat remaining in Congaree National Park needs to be surveyed. Furthermore, on January 14, 2002, a bird reminiscent of a female Bachman's Warbler was filmed at Guardalavaca, Cuba. As Vermivora warblers are not known to live more than about 7 years, if the identification is correct it would imply that a breeding population managed to survive undiscovered for decades. The female warbler incubates her eggs while the father looks for food.

It is thought to have nested in canebrakes, the loss of which (along with that of wintering habitat in the Caribbean), and having once been hunted for its plumes all posed threats. Small-scale logging in the 1800s may actually have increased Bachman Warbler’s breeding habitat.