General

Golden-cheeked Warbler: Medium-sized warbler with black upperparts and white underparts with thick black streaks on sides. Head has black cap and throat, bright yellow face, and dark eye-line. Wings are dark with two white bars. Female is duller with olive-green upperparts, streaked cap, and white throat. Rare in central Texas.

Range and Habitat

Golden-cheeked Warbler: Breeds in south-central Texas, in oak-juniper woodlands; loss of this habitat has resulted in the species being placed on the U.S. Endangered Species List. Spends winters south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Preferred habitats include rocky hillsides covered with juniper.

Breeding and Nesting

Golden-cheeked Warbler: Three to five white eggs with brown and gray spots and flecks are laid in a cup of bark strips, grass, and cobwebs, and built in a juniper. Eggs are incubated for approximately 12 days by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Golden-cheeked Warbler: Eats beetles, caterpillars, deer flies, and spiders; forages in trees and shrubs.

Readily Eats

Sugar Water, Fruit, Nut Pieces

Vocalization

Golden-cheeked Warbler: Song is a harsh buzzing.

Similar Species

Golden-cheeked Warbler: Black-throated Green and Townsend's warblers have darker cheeks without distinct eye-lines.