Golden-cheeked warbler  (Dendroica chrysoparia)

Classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List (1).

A small, attractively marked warbler, the male golden-cheeked warbler has, as its name suggests, a bright yellow face, which is framed by a black crown and throat, and split by a black eye-stripe extending from the eye to the back of the neck. The upper breast and back are black, while the lower breast and belly are white, with some black streaks, and with a thick black stripe running down each side. The wings are blackish, with two distinct white wing bars, while the tail is black with white outer feathers. The female golden-cheeked warbler is similar to the male, but less distinctly marked, with an olive to grey, black-streaked back and crown, duller yellow cheeks, a yellowish chin and upper throat, and a smaller eyestripe and wing bar. The juvenile is similar to the adult female, but more drab (2) (3) (4) (5) (6). 

The golden-cheeked warbler breeds only in central Texas, USA, where its range has shrunk dramatically in recent times, and where it is the only bird to nest entirely within the state. During the winter months, the species migrates to southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras, and has also been reported from Costa Rica and Panama (2) (3) (4) (7).

The golden-cheeked warbler breeds in the juniper-oak woodlands of central Texas, typically in limestone hill and canyons, and is dependent on the bark of the Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) for nesting material (2) (3) (4) (6) (8). In winter, it occurs in pine-oak forests, at elevations of between 1,500 and 3,000 metres (2) (4) (8) (9) (10).

The golden-cheeked warbler feeds on insects and spiders, with caterpillars being an important prey item during the breeding season. Prey is taken directly from foliage or snatched from the air (2) (3) (6) (7) (11). Less is known about the diet during winter, when the golden-cheeked warbler occurs in mixed-species flocks (2) (4) (10).

The main threat to the golden-cheeked warbler is habitat loss, with much of its breeding habitat having been cleared for development, agriculture and reservoir construction (2) (3) (4) (6) (8), and the winter habitat also under threat from logging, burning, firewood-cutting, mineral extraction, and clearance for cattle and agriculture (2) (4) (8) (9) (10). The species’ rather restricted habitat requirements and small breeding range make it particularly vulnerable to habitat loss (4) (10), and ongoing fragmentation of the remaining habitat also creates further problems by isolating populations and so reducing gene flow between them, potentially leading to a loss of genetic diversity. It also decreases nesting success at forest edges, and potentially increases predation, as well as brood parasitism by the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) (2) (3) (4) (6). In addition, habitat disturbance may decrease juniper-oak regeneration through disease and increased browsing pressure, and the woodlands may take decades to recover from disturbance, if at all (2) (7). Where juniper has instead spread, often due to fire suppression and overgrazing, it generally lacks the hardwood trees that the golden-cheeked warbler also requires (6).

In 1990, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the golden-cheeked warbler as Endangered (5), and the species is also listed as Endangered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (12). A recovery plan put in place in the United States in 1992 called for the protection of sufficient breeding and non-breeding habitat, the allowance of gene flow between warbler populations, and the protection and management of all existing populations on public land (8). The golden-cheeked warbler occurs in a number of protected areas throughout its range, including Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge in Texas, and various conservation efforts, including habitat restoration and voluntary cowbird trapping, are underway in many areas (2) (3) (4) (6) (8). 

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

To find out more about the golden-cheeked warbler and its conservation see:

• The Birds of North America Online - Golden-cheeked Warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia):
  http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/420/

• National Audubon Society:
  http://www.audubon.org/

• Campbell, L. (1995) Golden-cheeked Warbler. In: Endangered and Threatened Animals of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, Texas. Available at:
  http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0013_golden_cheeked_warbler.pdf

For more information on this and other bird species please see:

• BirdLife International:
  http://www.birdlife.org