Golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 4

Distribution

Global range

Populations of breeding Golden-winged Warblers are found in northeastern regions of the United States (ranging from West Virginia up to the Canadian border on the east, and extending as far west as Minnesota), southeastern areas of Ontario, southeast to western regions of Manitoba, as well as in the southwestern reaches of Québec (Figure 2). There have been 11 reports of this species in Saskatchewan, with one confirmed and two probable cases of breeding from the far southeast (Smith 1996); the species is currently considered “Accidental” in this province (J. Pepper, pers. comm.). However, given the ongoing range expansion it is likely that this number will increase in coming years.

 

Figure 2.  Breeding range of the Golden-winged Warbler (Dunn and Garrett 1997).

Figure 2.  Breeding range of the Golden-winged Warbler (Dunn and Garrett 1997).

Wintering Golden-winged Warblers are found in areas of Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama; Figure 3). They appear to be found in quantity in northern South America (Colombia, Venezuela), and in southern Central America, with smaller numbers in the Greater Antilles (Cuba) and on some of the Caribbean islands (Hilty 1980; Johnson 1980; Moore 1980; Orejuela et al. 1980; Raffaele 1989; Raffaele et al. 1998; Ridgely and Gwynne 1989).

Figure 3.  Wintering range of the Golden-winged Warbler (Based on Rappole et al. 1983 and Ridgely and Tudor 1989).

Figure 3.  Wintering range of the Golden-winged Warbler (Based on Rappole et al. 1983 and Ridgely and Tudor 1989).

 

Canadian range

Ontario - From May to August, Golden-winged Warblers breed from extreme southwestern Ontario north to central Nipissing, southern Sudbury and Algoma districts as well as in southwestern Rainy River District near Lake of the Woods. Data from Breeding Bird Surveys indicate Ontario supports 18.2% of the global population of this species, which in turn represents 98.4% of the Canadian population (P. Blancher, pers. comm.; Sauer et al. 2005).  

Manitoba - In Manitoba the species is found in a narrow band along the prairie-forest transition from the southeastern-most reaches of the province near Winnipeg northwestward to the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border (K. De Smet, pers. comm.).  Breeding Bird Survey data suggest that populations in these areas remain small (e.g. a mere 0.1% of the global population; P. Blancher, pers. comm.; Sauer et al. 2005) but recent surveys in the Duck Mountain area suggest this region alone contains between 100 and 300 pairs (L.P. Canada Ltd. Swanvalley and R. Berger 2004). Furthermore, the eastern slopes and top of Duck Mountain remain unsampled and if included, the population of Golden-winged Warblers in this area may be as high as several thousand (L.P. Canada Ltd. Swanvalley and R. Berger 2004). These estimates do not include birds found in Porcupine Hills where Golden-winged Warblers have also been reported (Cumming 1998).

Golden-winged Warblers also breed in Riding Mountain National Park and the Mount Agassiz Ski area west of McCreary. Given that the Manitoba population has been deemed genetically pure (based on mitochondrial DNA analyses, Shapiro et al. 2004 and nuclear DNA analyses, R. Fraser unpub. data) and currently remain allopatric to Blue-winged Warblers (Manitoba Avian Research Committee; Museum of Manitoba), these areas should be key for conservation initiatives.

Québec – After moving northward to New England and Ontario, Golden-winged Warblers became established in extreme southern Québec in the early 1970s. While never very abundant, numbers were thought to peak in the late-1980s to early-1990s (N = 19 territorial males in one location) after which time numbers started to decrease; in 2001 the species was only found in 9 locations in the province (Gauthier and Aubry 1996; Environment Canada – CWS Québec Region)

To date Golden-winged Warblers have been reported on five Breeding Bird Survey routes in southern Québec (Sauer et al. 2005) and have been recorded in 31 of 2,464 blocks (1.3%) in an atlas project completed in the 1990s (Gauthier and Aubry 1996). Québec currently supports 0.2% of the global population of Golden-winged Warblers (P. Blancher, pers. comm.; Sauer et al. 2005).

Saskatchewan – The Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre report 11 cases of Golden-winged Warblers in Saskatchewan (two from Saskatoon, three from Regina and the remaining six from the east side of the province) to date, and as such it is considered an accidental bird in the province (J. Keith, pers. comm.; Saskatchewan Bird Atlas Project; Smith 1996; J. Pepper, pers. comm.).  The first record was from 1962 and they have appeared sporadically since that time with the latest record in 1999 (Saskatchewan Bird Atlas Project).  No Golden-winged Warblers have been reported on Breeding Bird Surveys.

One case of breeding has been confirmed in the province and there are several reports of probable breeding in the far southeast of the province (Smith 1996; Saskatchewan Bird Atlas Project). The most recent records come from Duck Mountain near the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border.

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