WatchList Species Account for Golden-cheeked Warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia)

Qualifies for the list as a Red List Species

Photo: USFWS

The endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler breeds in mature juniper-oak woodland in limestond hills and canyons of the Edwards Plateau of Texas, where it depends on the bark of the Ashe Juniper for nest material. Its very restricted breeding range is only about 350 square kilometers. Prime habitat consists of patches of 3,100 hectares or larger. During non-breeding, it is apparently restricted to oak woodland between 1,150 and 3,000 in Central America, from Chiapas (Mexico) through Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Its population was estimated at between 9,600 and 32,000 birds in 1990. Between 1962 and 1981 there was been an estimated 25% loss of available breeding territories. This was the result of land clearance and habitat fragmentation, principally through conversion to ranchland, reservoirs, and housing developments.

Fragmentation compounds the impact of additional threats such as cowbird parasitism, predation by introduced fire ants, browsing by overpopulated deer, and the spread of oak wilt fungus which destroys a key component of its obligate habitat. Wildfires can harm habitat but are required to create successional growth needed by the endangered Black-capped Vireo, creating the need for a delicate balance on the part of land managers. Habitat destruction and the effect of pesticide overuse on its non-breeding grounds are potential concerns.

Of great potential benefit to the bird would be to increase the size of Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge near Austin to the proposed 46,000 acres and create the 30,000 acre Balcones Canyonlands Reserve system. [Note: these figures are puzzling and should be checked out.] Outreach programs and incentives for private landowners in the vicinity to protect habitat for the species are a vital step in its conservation. Control of deer and fire ants where they present problems is also key, as is controlling cowbirds, as in programs at Fort Hood and Kerr Wildlife Management Area. Protecting sites within its prime wintering range in Central America may prove an important step.