Review and download Chapter 3 - Golden-winged Warbler Working ...

winged and Blue-winged warbler, where Goldenwinged
Warbler rarely occurs in landscapes with
more than 25% coniferous forest, while Bluewinged
Warbler does not appear to show a
negative relationship with conifers. This suggests
that landscapes with 25% or more coniferous
cover might represent marginal habitat for
Golden-winged Warblers. If so, these marginal
conditions might serve to facilitate hybridization.
It is important to know whether breeding Goldenwinged
Warbler populations occur within or are
nearby to a proposed management site (Figure
3–11). Though little is known about how juveniles
disperse or how new habitat is colonized, we
recommend creating habitat within 1 mi (1.5 km)
of known breeding populations. Small, isolated
Figure 3–10. Model results showing the current probability of detecting a phenotypic or genotypic hybrid Goldenwinged
Warbler x Blue-winged Warbler in the southern Appalachian Region based on the probability of both
Golden-winged and Blue-winged warbler being present, elevation, forest type, and climate. Areas defined as having
0% hybrid probability lacked the appropriate environmental conditions to support both species, thus pushing the
likelihood of hybridization to near zero.
3–25
patches of new habitat that are disassociated
with existing breeding populations may have
lower likelihood of being occupied. The minimum
habitat area required to attract and support a
functional sub-population of Golden-winged
Warblers is unknown and likely highly correlated
with the landscape context. However, in the
interest of providing basic information to inform
spatially explicit conservation designs, we make
the following recommendations. In extensively
forested management sites, we recommend
maintaining 15–20% of the area in suitable
Golden-winged Warbler habitat. This can be done
by creating single patches of at least 5 ac (2 ha) or
clusters of smaller patches that are no more than
300 yards (275 m) apart and add up to at least 10
ac (4 ha).