Palm Warbler

Palm Warbler

Setophaga palmarum

Silhouette: Dylan GE Gomes · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Big Cypress National Preserve

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

2,023 Verified sightings at Big Cypress National Preserve From 2019 to 2026
25,730 In all 34 parks
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Palm Warbler

The palm warbler (Setophaga palmarum) is a small songbird in the New World warbler family. Measurements: Length: 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in) Wingspan: 20–21 cm (7.9–8.3 in) Weight: 8.5–14.2 g (0.30–0.50 oz) The species comprises two subspecies, with fairly extensive intergradation and mixing where they meet.

S. p. palmarum ("brown palm warbler" or "western palm warbler") inhabits the western two-thirds of the breeding range, and migrates southeast to winter on the Atlantic coast from Delaware to Florida (with a few on the Gulf coast west to Louisiana). It has much less yellow below, with less colorful streaking, and cold grayish-brown upper parts.

S. p. hypochrysea ("yellow palm warbler" or "eastern palm warbler") of the eastern third of the breeding range, and migrates southwest to winter on the Gulf coast from western Florida to Texas; it migrates later in the fall than its western counterpart. It has brownish-olive upper parts and thoroughly yellow underparts with bold rufous breast and flank streaking.

Palm warblers breed in open coniferous bogs and edge east of the Continental Divide, across Canada and the northeastern United States... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:18

United States · 2025

© David A. Brinkman · XC1009101 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:54

United States · 2024

© Valerie Heemstra · XC941412 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Nocturnal flight call0:06

Canada · 2023

© David Tattersley · XC811990 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
~60%
2 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~60%
3 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
4 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~50%
5 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
6 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
7 Jaragua National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~20%
8 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
9 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
10 Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park 🇯🇲 Jamaica
~10%
11 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
12 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
13 Isla del Coco National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
14 Los Haitises National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~10%
15 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
16 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
17 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
18 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
19 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
20 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
21 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
24 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
25 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
26 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
28 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
29 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
30 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
31 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
32 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
33 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Havana 🇨🇺 Cuba
~50%
2 Miami 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
3 Orlando 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
4 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
5 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
9 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 National Zoological Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Butterfly World 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Palm Warbler in Big Cypress National Preserve?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Palm Warbler sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 2,023 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 199 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Palm Warbler in Big Cypress National Preserve?

January and November

In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Palm Warbler in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, against about 10% in May to September, the lowest months. Those are among Big Cypress National Preserve's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 260 mm in June.

What time of day is best to see a Palm Warbler?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Palm Warbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Big Cypress National Preserve the best place to see a Palm Warbler?

3rd of 34

Of the 34 parks where we can rate Palm Warbler sightings, Big Cypress National Preserve ranks 3rd at about 50%. The best odds are in Ciénaga de Zapata (Cuba, about 60%) and Everglades National Park (United States, about 60%). All parks ranked.

Which relatives of the Palm Warbler live in Big Cypress National Preserve?

Same genus: Setophaga

The closest relatives of the Palm Warbler that you can see in Big Cypress National Preserve (genus Setophaga, Setophaga Warblers) are Yellow-rumped Warbler (about 40%), Northern Parula (about 30%) and Pine Warbler (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Palm Warbler sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Palm Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (2,023 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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