WatchList Species Account for Colima Warbler (Vermivora crissalis)

Qualifies for the list as a Rare Yellow List Species

The Colima Warbler breeds only in the Chisos Mountains of western Texas and the Sierra Madre Oriental of northeastern Mexico. Though rare, it is locally common and is easiest to observe in Big Bend National Park. Though singing territorial males have been observed in recent years in the Davis Mountains, about 160 km from Big Bend National Park, no direct evidence of breeding has yet been observed. It winters on the Pacific slope of southwest Mexico. Both the breeding and wintering habitat is mixed forest of oak and pine, with a grassy ground cover, at elevations from 1,500 to 3,500 meters. It nests on the ground in grass or leaf litter or in cavities on hillsides.

The breeding population in the Chisos Mountains appears to be stable but no information about the populations in Mexico is available. Though not found in heavily disturbed areas, the U.S. population (only discovered in 1928) is apparently not much affected by human activity, though in Mexico there is predation on the birds from feral dogs and cats from nearby farms and villages. However, its Mexican habitat is remote and not suitable for agriculture so not under current threat. In Big Bend Park the habitat is protected and monitored.