One of the most beautiful local bird species is the Golden-cheeked Warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia), with a breeding season range limited to 33 Central Texas counties. These insect-eating birds favor nesting habitat that consists of mature Ashe Juniper (blueberry cedar, Juniperus ashei) mixed with oak, ash, pecan, hackberry, or bigtooth maple. In particular, Golden-cheeked Warblers require a moderate to heavy density of older junipers that create an upper canopy and, more importantly, shed bark that these birds use to construct their nests. The broad-leaved trees and shrubs in the warblers’ woodland habitat shelter the caterpillars, beetles, and other insects on which the birds feed. An estimated 5 to 20 acres of mixed juniper-oak woodland comprise the nesting and foraging territory for each pair of Golden-cheeked Warblers.
Mixed juniper woodland, Lost Maples State Natural Area, Bandera County, Texas
The endangered status of the Golden-cheeked Warbler can be attributed almost exclusively to habitat loss and fragmentation. Historically, habitat was destroyed to improve rangeland for livestock, and stands of juniper trees were cut for fence posts and other timber products. Seedling oaks were lost to browsing deer and goats, and floodplains along creeks and canyons were converted to farmland for forage crops and pasture. More recently, warbler habitat has been destroyed as a result of urban development and sprawl, particularly in Bexar and Travis counties. Moreover, many landowners view the Ashe Juniper as a water-hogging tree species that should be eradicated, particularly in the canyon and wash woodlands favored by the Golden-cheeked Warblers. Nest parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird may also contribute to declining warbler populations.
Ashe Juniper needles and berries, and Golden-cheeked Warbler; Micron pen, Prismacolor, and Caran d’Ache watercolor pencil
Golden-cheeked Warblers return to Central Texas, from their wintering sites in Chiapas (Mexico), Guatemala, and Honduras, in early March. There are numerous places to see these birds near San Antonio, including Lost Maples SNA, Government Canyon SNA, Hill Country SNA, and Friedrich Wilderness Park. Recovery efforts are also underway on Department of Defense property at Camp Bullis and Fort Hood.
References:
Golden-cheeked warbler. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. www.tpwd.state.tx.us/…/pwd_bk_w7000_0013_golden_cheeked_warbler.pdf
This specie occupy a large size of territory. In general the species of birds that occupy an great extension of territory are endangered. Because mainly for the human occupation.
Lovely, as usual.
I have been back in the U.S. for some ten-odd days. I forgot how much like home it feels when I can see the common birds – which are not, of course, in France. Robins, red-winged blackbirds, blue jays, orioles, cardinals, ravens, sundry hawks I didn’t try to identify and, less common for me, what I think was a great kiskadee. I’m not a real birder but it made me happy.
There was a great spot on Nova ScienceNow the other night precisely about nest parasitism by the brown-headed cowbird and the clever field research that was conducted to prove that they actually exact revenge on the remaining eggs of the host should their own egg be ejected from the nest. Apparently they do worse, too.