Golden-winged Warbler Conservation

Learn about our work to conserve Golden-winged Warblers.

Photo: Ed Buress

Golden-winged Warbler populations are on the decline in the United States. One way that Audubon North Carolina is impacting that decline is through mitigating and reversing habitat loss.

Considered a forest bird, the Golden-winged Warbler needs at least 70 percent of the surrounding landscape to be forested. Having access to ample shrubland is also critical for nest site locations.

The need to restore shrubland, or the earliest stage of forest growth, is becoming more important as land use changes for the Golden-winged Warbler breeding grounds in North Carolina. Biologists are working with farmers, forest managers and private landowners to steward sustainable practices that support suitable habitat. By connecting private and public forest managers with technical and financial resources, we are curtailing the population decline of this species.

Habitat loss also impacts the Golden-winged Warbler’s wintering grounds. Audubon NC is collaborating with our partners to further understand the full life cycle biology of this warbler, including conducting field research in Nicaragua.

Golden-winged Warbler
Priority Birds

Golden-winged Warbler

The rapid decline of the Golden-winged Warbler since the 1980s cannot be explained solely by habitat loss, and that mystery has attracted many scientists to study this beautiful warbler.

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Letting it Grow: How Landowners are Helping Birds by Mowing Less
Forest Legacy Landbird Project - Working Lands

Letting it Grow: How Landowners are Helping Birds by Mowing Less

Allison Bovée and Mary Vogel have changed their landscaping practices at BirdTown Cabins in western North Carolina to create new bird habitat.

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Golden-winged Warbler Tracking Report
Conserve Golden-Wings

Geolocation Tracking Golden-winged Warblers

Geolocation tracking migration routes is essential to the success of the Golden-winged Warbler.

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Neighbors Band Together for Golden-winged Warblers
Conservation

Neighbors Band Together for Golden-winged Warblers

In Mitchell County, landowners are turning a power line right-of-way into prime habitat for a declining warbler.

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Geolocators Flying North and South
Working Lands

Geolocators Flying North and South

Geolocator data will inform our work in Western North Carolina that protects the habitats Golden-winged Warblers need for their survival. Learn more!

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How to Conserve the Golden-winged Warbler
Conserve Golden-Wings

How to Conserve the Golden-winged Warbler

Golden-winged warbler populations are on the decline in the United States. One way that Audubon North Carolina is impacting that decline is through mitigating and reversing habitat loss.

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Private Lands Protection
Landowners Protection - Working Lands

Private Lands Protection

Habitat on private lands plays a critical role in bird conservation in the southeastern U.S.

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Research in North Carolina
Research – Working Lands

Research in North Carolina

Audubon NC is involved in regional and international research in the quest to better understand bird ecology.

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Published Work on Golden-winged Warbler Conservation and Biology
Working Lands

Published Work on Golden-winged Warbler Conservation and Biology

Review recent peer reviewed and thesis papers done by Audubon staff, our academic partners at Appalachian and elsewhere.

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Goats Help Restore Golden-wing Habitat
Forest Management - Working Lands

Goats Help Restore Golden-wing Habitat

Goats will munch the leaves, woody stems, and high vegetative growth that many grazing animals will not. They don’t like to eat grass. This makes them the perfect partner in Golden-winged Warbler habitat management.

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News & Updates

This Fall, Ditch the Yard Work and Leave your Leaves for Birds
News

This Fall, Ditch the Yard Work and Leave your Leaves for Birds

Thanks to chapter advocacy, NC cities support Leave Your Leaves campaign.

Tagged Golden-winged Warblers Return After Cross-Continent Journey
Conserve Golden-Wings

Tagged Golden-winged Warblers Return After Cross-Continent Journey

Tiny songbirds bring radio-tracking backpacks back to North Carolina, along with important data.

Celebrating the Network of Landowners who Protect Forests and Birds
Forest Landbird Legacy Program

Celebrating the Network of Landowners who Protect Forests and Birds

This year, Audubon hit the road to celebrate the people who make our Forest Landbird Legacy Program possible.

Who Runs the Forest? Increasingly, in the Southeast, It’s Women
Forestry In Action

Who Runs the Forest? Increasingly, in the Southeast, It’s Women

New groups are cultivating communities of women who manage their trees with economic and ecosystem sustainability in mind.

Light Weight Tracking Technology Could Help Reveal Mysteries of Golden-wing Decline
Conserve Golden-Wings

Light Weight Tracking Technology Could Help Reveal Mysteries of Golden-wing Decline

Audubon and partners across the South and Midwest are using radio tags to track a rare songbird.

For one Yancey County Couple, Art and Land Stewardship Converge
Working Lands

For one Yancey County Couple, Art and Land Stewardship Converge

How a renowned artist with a global reach is turning his attention to his own backyard through Audubon’s Working Lands program.

How Bottomland Forests Help Birds and People
Working Lands

How Bottomland Forests Help Birds and People

Audubon and our partners are helping landowners be better stewards of their low-lying hardwood forests, a threatened habitat that supports wildlife and people.

Healthy Forests Mean Healthy Diets for Hungry Songbirds on the Move
Forestry In Action

Healthy Forests Mean Healthy Diets for Hungry Songbirds on the Move

Bird-friendly forestry helps Tennessee Warblers on both sides of their migration journeys.

Bridging the Gender Gap in Forest Stewardship
Working Lands

Bridging the Gender Gap in Forest Stewardship

ForestHer NC has reached 1,000 people across the state, empowering landowners to better manage their land for birds and wildlife.

Restoring Piedmont Forests for Birds
Forest Landbird Legacy Program

Restoring Piedmont Forests for Birds

An Audubon partnership with Three Rivers Land Trust is breathing new life into woodlands, thanks to prescribed fires and bird-friendly forestry practices.

How you can help, right now