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Historic Status

The status of the Prairie Warbler as a breeding species in Massachusetts will forever be tied to the efforts of man. The Prairie Warbler has always been dependent upon that transition zone between forest and grassland, areas that today are called early successional or shrubland habitats and, as such, undoubtedly flourished in the early years of European settlement. Habitat change literally drives the distribution of this species. Nuttall observed Prairie Warblers near Mount Auburn in the 1830s, but by the time Brewster went looking for them at that same locale thirty years later, the birds were gone (Brewster 1906). Frank Chapman stated that while the species was widespread from the Gulf of Mexico to Massachusetts, because of its specific habitat needs, “even as a migrant, it is entirely wanting over large areas,” (Chapman 1907). Reforestation of the state during the twentieth century slowly began to squeeze the Prairie Warbler out of many Massachusetts locations.

Atlas 1 Distribution

The distribution of the Prairie Warbler in Atlas 1 was fairly lopsided toward the eastern regions, and overall the species was found in 38% of the blocks surveyed. The western and central ecoregions accounted for only 29% of the species range. A notable exception was the small Vermont Piedmont ecoregion, where Prairie Warblers were present in 7 out of 17 blocks. The Connecticut River Valley reported almost two dozen blocks with breeding Prairie Warblers, and the Lower Worcester Plateau had 54% block occupancy. Prairie Warbler distribution hit stride in the Coastal Plains, and the sandy Scrub Oak barrens of the Bristol/Narragansett Lowlands and the Cape and Islands had some of the highest concentrations in the state.

Atlas 2 Distribution and Change

Because they require what is usually an ephemeral habitat for breeding, Prairie Warblers are generally not reliably persistent in any one area, appearing and disappearing across the state as the landscape shifts. Their footprint increased overall to 46% of the blocks surveyed in Atlas 2, and the effort-controlled data showed an increase of 5%. The Berkshire Highlands and had net gains in Prairie Warbler distribution, and the sandplain grasslands of the Vermont Piedmont remained a small yet persistent haven for the species. The central lowlands in the Connecticut River Valley as well as the Worcester Plateau and Lower Worcester Plateau also gained many Prairie Warbler blocks. The species fared less well where it ran up against the Boston sprawl frontier in the Coastal Plains. Prairie Warblers appeared new in 53 blocks but vanished from 44, indicating plenty of movement within the region. All other eastern regions showed net losses of Prairie Warblers, though none more so than the Cape and Islands, where they disappeared from 26 blocks, but colonized only 16 blocks.

Atlas 1 Map

Atlas 2 Map

Atlas Change Map