Description of residence for Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina) in Canada (final version) 2007

Section 33 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) prohibits damaging or destroying the residence of a listed threatened, endangered, or extirpated species. SARA defines residence as: “a dwelling-place, such as a den, nest or other similar area or place, that is occupied or habitually occupied by one or more individuals during all or part of their life cycles, including breeding, rearing, staging, wintering, feeding or hibernating” [s.2(1)]. With respect to a listed wildlife species that is an aquatic species or a species of bird protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, the prohibition applies wherever residence of the species is found. For any other listed wildlife species, the prohibition applies automatically when the residence of the species is on federal lands and will only apply on non-federal lands if an order is made pursuant to sections 34 or 35 of SARA. Under section 97 of SARA every person who contravenes section 33 of the Act commits an offence.

The following is a description of residence for the Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina), created for the purposes of increasing public awareness and aiding enforcement of the above prohibition. Hooded Warblers are known to have one type of residence - the nest.

Any place used as a nest by a Hooded Warbler is considered a residence. The Hooded Warbler is an area-sensitive, neotropical migrant songbird. The species resides in large, mature deciduous and mixed deciduous forests, or smaller forests that lie in close proximity to these large forests, where it nests in clearings created by natural disturbance and selection logging ^Footnote2, ^Footnote3. Forests large enough to attract Hooded Warblers are uncommon in the Carolinian forest zone, which is the species’ core breeding area in Canada. The nest is typically situated close to the ground (<1 m) within dense, shrubby vegetation, most often in raspberry (Rubus) tangles but also in elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), hazel (Corylus), hawthorn (Crataegus), cherry (Prunus), and even garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) ^Footnote4. The nests are a bulky mass of dry leaves, with the inner nest cup lined with grasses, fine rootlets, and pine needles ^Footnote3.

The nest provides a structure to hold eggs and nestlings. The adult female builds the nest, usually over 5-6 days ^Footnote3. In Ontario, average annual clutch size has ranged from 2.8 to 3.7 eggs ^Footnote5. Eggs are creamy white with scattered brown markings concentrated at the large end; they are incubated for 12 days by the female only ^Footnote3. All young tend to hatch within a single day, and remain in the nest for 8 or 9 days ^Footnote3.

Federal Policy defines damage or destruction of a residence as:

Any activity that destroys the function of the nest would constitute damage or destruction of the residence. This would include, but is not limited to, moving or otherwise disturbing the eggs, nest, and plant species that support the nest; changing the microclimate of the nest (such as the amount of light or internal temperature); or blocking access to the nest. Activities that remove large, mature trees and/or the dense, shrubby vegetation near the nest may damage its ability to function as a residence.

Hooded Warblers typically return to Ontario from wintering areas in early May, with females usually arriving a few days later than males ^Footnote5. Nest construction begins in early May, and the nest can be used for up to five weeks. Double-brooding, and even triple-brooding, has occurred in Ontario ^Footnote6, which extends the active breeding season to late August. The nest should be protected as a residence from the time of nest construction through to fledging of young, approximately from early May to late August. Returning males often occupy the same territory in subsequent years ^Footnote3. Protection should include nest building, egg laying, incubation, hatching, nestling, and brood rearing periods – a total time frame of approximately 120 days.

For more information on the Hooded Warbler, please visit the species’ profile.

For more information on SARA, please visit the SAR Registry

Please cite this document as:

Government of Canada. Species at Risk Act Public Registry. Residence Descriptions. Description of residence for Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina) in Canada. July 2007. (Access date).