Golden-Winged Warbler Initiative - National Wild Turkey Federation

Golden-Winged Warblers,
Ruffed Grouse, Deer & Wild Turkeys
By: Bob Eriksen, NWTF Regional Biologist
"By working to
manage habitat for
nesting golden-winged
warblers we can
increase the quality
of nesting habitat for
wild turkeys."
Recently the Natural Golden-wings prefer the
Resource Conservation more mountainous areas of
Service (NRCS) provided the state for nesting and are
an opportunity for NWTF most successful at elevations
to become involved in above 950 feet. These birds
developing habitat for golden- are not yet threatened or
winged warblers on private endangered but have declined
lands. The Working Lands for drastically in the past two or
Wildlife (WLFW) Golden- three decades. Their decline
winged Warbler Initiative is related to a substantial
(GWWI) will affect landowners change in the age of our
in the Appalachian Mountains forests and human activities
in ten states from Georgia affecting their winter range.
to New York including The objective of this initiative
Pennsylvania. The GWWI will is to try and stem the tide by
provide funding for planning actively managing forest land
and developing habitat for to provide suitable nesting
these hearty little migrants. habitat and keep the birds
In Pennsylvania the initiative from being listed.
affects a large number of
So what in the world do
counties in the northeast,
golden-winged warblers and
northcentral, southcentral
wild turkeys have in common?
and southwestern parts of
Well, aside from the obvious
the Commonwealth. Golden-
fact that both critters are
winged warblers along with
birds (though there’s a vast
many species of neo-tropical
difference in size) they share
migrant songbirds arrive in
some important habitat
Pennsylvania in May returning
needs. These warblers need
from their winter habitat in
mature forest in which to
Central and South America.
forage for food but they
6 Turkey Talk Winter 2013 panwtf.org
also need disturbed areas-
what we biologists call
early successional habitat
or young forest. Specifically
golden-wings need patches
of disturbed forest at least 10
to 15 acres in size. The most
productive habitat sites have
a few mature trees, a number
of saplings and shrubs
and patches herbaceous
cover like goldenrod and
blackberry brambles per acre.
Natural disturbances like
tornadoes and wildfires can
produce the type of cover
golden-wings need but these
events occur infrequently.
Active forest management
can be used to increase the
acreage of available habitat
and may provide income for
landowners at the same time.
The percentage of young
forest in the Appalachians
declined from 29% in 1980
to about 11% today as our
forests aged, timber harvests
declined and fire was
suppressed.
Wild turkeys prefer mature
forest in the fall and winter and
use agricultural fields, reverting
fields and forest openings in
the other seasons. Agricultural
land and fields do the goldenwinged
warbler no good at all.
However the young forest they
use for nesting is exactly what
nesting hen turkeys look for
in the spring. In fact, quality
nesting habitat is a factor that
is in relatively short supply for
wild turkeys in much of their
range in the northeastern
United States. Therefore by
working to manage habitat
for nesting golden-winged
warblers we can increase the
quality of nesting habitat for
wild turkeys. Creating young
forest will actually improve
turkey habitat in the heavily
forested parts of the state.
The advantages don’t stop
there either. Golden-winged
warblers need patches of
young forest at least 10 to 15
acres in size. These patches of
young forest are absolutely