ABSTRACT
Abstract. In this penultimate chapter, we examine new perspectives on ecology of Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera), review primary population-level threats, and offer conservation recommendations. Adequate forest cover and patchlevel habitat conguration are important for successful reproduction and to buffer against negative interactions with Blue-winged Warblers (V. cyanoptera). We recommend landscape-scale forest cover of 50%–100% and meso-scale (500-m radius) habitat designs that provide nesting habitat bounded by a mosaic of structurally diverse, multiple age-class forest or connected to such forest by dispersal corridors <200 m in length. The primary threat to breeding and nonbreeding Golden-winged Warbler populations is land-use change, resulting in forest conversion to human development and agriculture. In the Great Lakes breeding-distribution segment,
which holds 95% of the global breeding population, we recommend protection and improvement of existing habitat, whereas we recommend critically needed habitat creation in the Appalachian Mountains breeding-population segment. At the nonbreeding grounds, we recommend protection of humid forest at 700-1,400 m elevation, establishment of a system of national forest reserves, and promotion of agroforestry, such as Integrated Open Canopy Coffee. Given that Golden-winged Warblers likely use a migration pathway across the Gulf of Mexico, which is similar to many other Neotropical migrants, we recommend a general strategy of protecting coastal Gulf of Mexico stopover locations. Last, protection of inland migration pathways such as ridge tops and riparian forests along major river systems could also confer benets to Goldenwinged Warblers.
