Fort Hood Project

Golden-cheeked Warbler Research and Monitoring

The golden-cheeked warbler is the only songbird whose breeding range is restricted to a single U.S. state. This warbler nests exclusively in central Texas woodlands which include mature Ashe juniper trees, from which it obtains strips of

Golden-cheeked Warbler © The Nature Conservancy

bark for its nests. On Fort Hood, Conservancy scientists monitor the golden-cheeked warbler on three intensive study areas. Like the black-capped vireo, the warbler has responded to management over the past decade, with detections at fixed points in 2003 nearly double those in 1992, before the population was actively managed. Nest success ranges from 23–45% for this species on Fort Hood, which indicates that habitat on the installation functions as high quality breeding habitat for this endangered species during most years.

Conservation of migratory species obviously depends on habitat preservation at both ends of their annual migration; the golden-cheeked warbler spends the winter in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. Little is known about the habitat or threats on the warbler’s wintering grounds, even though it spends the majority of its time there. Therefore, Conservancy scientists are working with biologists in all five countries where the warbler spends the winter, and have provided training and resources to partner organizations to support research and conservation.