Olive Warbler - Distribution and Habitat

Distribution and Habitat

The Olive Warbler is distributed from the United States to Nicaragua, making it the only bird family endemic to North America. In the northern part of its range it has a continuous distribution from Yavapai County, Arizona and the southwestern tip of New Mexico along central Mexico to southern Mexico. There are also isolated populations in Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Sonora and Chihuahua. Further south it occurs in southwest Guatemala and from northern El Salvador and central Honduras to northern Nicaragua.

The Olive Warbler is a bird of mountains and highlands. In northern areas of its range it occurs from 2,600 m above sea level or more, in some parts of its range it may not occur below 3,500 m. In Oaxaca in Mexico it occupies a range of between 1,700–3,000 m further south in Guatemala it ranges down to 1,850 m and at the southern end of its range it can be found as low as 1,000 m in Honduras and in Nicaragua it occupies a belt of forest from 1,070 and 1,370 m. They typically inhabit conifer forests, such as ponderosa and sugar pine forests in Arizona, Abies common fir forests, oak, and pine forests in central Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. These forests range from humid to semi-arid. In coastal regions stands of palms may be used, and in the Valley of Mexico pine and alder forests are inhabited.

Over most of its range the species is resident, but there is evidence that the most northerly populations are partial migrants. Birds in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico apparently move away from their breeding grounds, although what exact movements are made is unclear. It has been suggested that they are either "down slope migrants", moving to lower elevations, or dispersive, as some records show their presence in Texas. Birds attributed to the northern race P. t. arizonae have been recorded near Tepic, in Nayarit. Nevertheless some birds remain in the northern areas of their range year round.