Status
The Cape May warbler are classified as Sensitive in the current General Status of Alberta Wild Species report.
See:
Also see the Status of the Cape May warbler in Alberta report at:
Issues
- The main threat to the Cape May warbler is the loss and degradation of its breeding habitat because of resource extraction
and agricultural expansion.
- Forestry activities cause habitat loss and fragmentation, particularly of older and coniferous-dominated forests.
- Short rotation lengths (time interval between successive harvests) and even-aged stand management do not allow forests to
develop that are as old and as structurally varied as the Cape May warbler requires.
- Roads and seismic lines from oil and gas development often do not regenerate back to forest and may contribute to habitat
loss as much as forestry. These impacts are worsened by habitat loss and alteration within this species’ wintering range
and along migration routes.
Current management
- Under Alberta’s Wildlife Act, the Cape May warbler is designated as a non-game animal. It is illegal to kill or
harass individuals or disturb their nests at any time of the year.
- There are currently no management efforts that target the Cape May warbler specifically. However, a few research projects
in Alberta have recently focused on conifer-dominated habitats at both the stand and landscape levels.
- Alberta’s Endangered Species Conservation Committee has recommended the conservation of its habitat through long-term forest
management focused on maintaining populations that are well distributed over the species’ historical range.
- Modifications to resource extraction activities that currently affect the preferred habitat of the Cape May warbler will
be critical to lessen their impact on this species.
Updated: Jan 8, 2014