Golden-cheeked Warbler

Setophaga chrysoparia

eBird describes the Golden-cheeked Warbler like this:  Breeds exclusively in mixed juniper-oak woodland in central Texas. Seldom seen in migration. Male has jet-black crown, throat, and back; bright yellow face with a black line through the eye. Two white wingbars; white underparts with black streaks down the sides. Female and immatures duller with pale throat, olive-green back and crown; similar to Black-throated Green Warbler, but note more distinct dark line through eye and lack of yellow vent. Winters in mountainous pine-oak forest in Mexico and Central America. Variable song includes several trills and buzzes at different pitches.   All About Birds provides this additional descriptive information:  At close range, an adult male Golden-cheeked Warbler’s rich black plumage and golden cheeks seem to be made of velveteen. This stunning but endangered warbler is found only in the Texas Hill Country where it nests in juniper-oak woodlands. Along with the Hermit, Townsend’s, and Black-throated Green Warblers, it is part of a fascinating evolutionary puzzle of similar species with black-and-gold plumage and buzzy songs, spread across evergreen forests from Alaska to Appalachia.

I saw my first Golden-cheeked Warbler at the Agarita Blind in South Llano River State Park on Sunday, April 17, 2022, shortly before 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon.  I had left McQueeney that morning after church and arrived at the park shortly before noon.  When I checked in at the visitor’s center, a park ranger told me that she had seen a Golden-cheeked Warbler the previous Thursday on a trail near the visitor’s center.  I decided that I didn’t have time to walk any trails, so I went to the nearby Agarita Blind.  I saw quite a few birds but, shortly before I was going to leave the blind, I spotted a brightly colored warbler at the water feature that I was able to photograph and positively identify as a Golden-cheeked Warbler!  Needless to say, adding this rare bird to my life list made my day!

THE GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER WAS IN A BUSH NEAR THE WATER FEATURE WHEN I FIRST SPOTTED HIM.
HE DIDN'T STAY LONG, BUT THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL GOOD LOOKS I GOT AT THE GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER AT THE AGARITA BLIND IN SOUTH LLANO RIVER STATE PARK ON THE EARLY AFTERNOON OF APRIL 17, 2022.
ANOTHER OF THE GOOD LOOKS I GOT AT THE GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER AT SLRSP ON APRIL 17, 2022.


“Cool Facts” About the Golden-cheeked Warbler From All About Birds:

  • The Golden-cheeked Warbler is the only bird species whose population nests entirely in the state of Texas.
  • Golden-cheeked Warbler first became known to science in 1860, from specimens collected on its winter range, in Guatemala. The nesting grounds were not discovered in central Texas for another four years.
  • By the late 1800s, English naturalist Henry Philemon Attwater was already raising an alarm about the rate at which this species’ habitat was being destroyed. It was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1990.
  • Golden-cheeked Warbler is one of very few bird species to have a guest role in a TV sitcom. In 2005, NBC’s “Will & Grace” featured a vagrant Golden-cheeked Warbler that visited Manhattan’s Central Park, in the “Ramble”—a real spot famous for attracting rare bird species. A Golden-cheeked Warbler also appeared in the 1992 mystery novel Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert.
  • The oldest recorded Golden-cheeked Warbler was at least 10 years, 11 months old when it was recaptured and re-released during banding operations in Texas.