 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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0.373 (0.0485 - 0.716)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Ovenbirds were found to have a patchy distribution in Saskatchewan. Observed in 409 atlas squares, their stronghold in the province lies in the southern half of the boreal forest, with small pockets of distribution in suitably forested areas such as the Cypress Uplands, Moose Mountain, and the Qu'Appelle, Pipestone, and North Saskatchewan River valleys. Ovenbirds were a difficult species for which to obtain breeding evidence, with only five squares reporting confirmations. The most northerly sightings around Wollaston Lake and Lake Athabasca are consistent with observations at the range limits found in adjacent provinces and territories.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The Ovenbird spends most of its time walking along the forest floor foraging for insects and other invertebrates in the leaf litter. Although hidden under a canopy of wild sarsaparilla and such shrubs as beaked hazelnut, it is one of the most audible songbirds in the forest. The Ovenbird occupies mixedwood forests from northeastern British Columbia to Newfoundland south to Georgia, and it winters in Florida, Central America, and the Caribbean.
In the boreal forest, deciduous and mixed wood of increasing age are the preferred nesting habitats of the Ovenbird; densities average 6 territories/100 ha in young stands, increasing to 48 in over-mature stands (Smith 2008b). As a migrant the species may be found in all types of wooded cover, but sites with a bare forest floor are preferred.
Ovenbirds are common breeding birds from the southern part of the northern boreal region (Cluff and Costigan Lakes, Southend), south to and including the parklands. In the grasslands they are restricted to substantial tracts of aspen poplar, heavily wooded coulees, the Qu'Appelle Valley, Big Muddy Valley, and Cypress Hills. As transients they are common throughout the parkland and grasslands (Smith 1996).
Original text by Greg Fenty. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Ovenbird in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Ovenbird in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=OVEN&lang=en [14 Nov 2025]
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