Kirtland's warbler

noun

Kirt·​land's warbler ˈkərt-lən(d)z- How to pronounce Kirtland's warbler (audio)
plural Kirtland's warblers
: a rare warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii synonym Dendroica kirtlandii) of northeastern North America that is gray with yellow underparts

Note: Kirtland's warblers breed in Michigan and sometimes Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada and winter in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.

Kirtland's warblers are ground-nesters that prefer jack pine stands more than 80 acres in size, where the nest can be concealed in mixed vegetation of grasses and shrubs below the living branches of 5- to 20-year-old trees.State News Service
Intensive research determined that two primary factors were causing the decline of the Kirtland's warblers: a lack of suitable nesting habitat and brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds.Cameron MacDonald

Examples of Kirtland's warbler in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Smith: Kirtland's warbler comeback continues, highlighting the possible in conservation USA TODAY contributed to this report. Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Kirtland's warbler.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Jared P. Kirtland †1877 American naturalist

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Kirtland's warbler was in 1853

Dictionary Entries Near Kirtland's warbler

Cite this Entry

“Kirtland's warbler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Kirtland%27s%20warbler. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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