BeakBrain
Menu
Bird GuideDaily BirdCamsTripsCommunityGet the app

Golden-cheeked Warbler

Setophaga chrysoparia

Endangered · IUCN Red List

ENEndangeredInvertebratesForestCup nestTiny · 10 g
Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), photo 1
Photo: datadan · CC BY 4.0
Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), photo 2
Photo: datadan · CC BY 4.0
Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), photo 3
Photo: tcantrell52 · CC BY 4.0
Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), photo 4
Photo: Cody Stricker · CC BY 4.0
Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), photo 5
Photo: Cody Stricker · CC BY 4.0
Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), photo 6
Photo: Rajan Rao · CC BY 4.0
Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), photo 7
Photo: Steve Maslowski/U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domain
Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), photo 8
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters · Public domain
Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), photo 9
Photo: HarmonyonPlanetEarth · CC BY 2.0
Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), photo 10
Photo: HarmonyonPlanetEarth · CC BY 2.0

What the Golden-cheeked Warbler sounds like

Sonogram of the Golden-cheeked Warbler: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by steve · Song · Friedrich Wilderness Park (near San Antonio), Bexar County, Texas, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The golden-cheeked warbler is very striking due to its bright yellow cheeks that are contrasted by its black throat and back. It is also identified by its unique buzzing song emerging from the wooded canyons where it breeds. Golden-cheeked warblers breed in 33 counties in central Texas and are dependent on ashe juniper (blueberry juniper or cedar) for their fine bark strips used as nesting material.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Golden-cheeked Warbler

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 4 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is April, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Golden-cheeked Warbler

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 6 countries with regular records, and 2 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

United States Honduras Guatemala Mexico Nicaragua El Salvador

Recorded as a rare visitor in Costa Rica, Panama.

About the Golden-cheeked Warbler

The golden-cheeked warbler is an endangered species of bird that breeds in Central Texas, from Palo Pinto County southwestward along the eastern and southern edge of the Edwards Plateau to Kinney County. The golden-cheeked warbler is the only bird species with a breeding range endemic to Texas.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Adelaide's Warbler (Setophaga adelaidae) Adelaide's WarblerSetophaga adelaidaeAdelaide's warbler is 12.5 cm (4.9 in) long. Kirtland's Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) Kirtland's WarblerSetophaga kirtlandiiMale Kirtland's warblers have bluish-grey upper body parts, with dark streaks on the back, yellow bellies, and dark streaks on the flanks and sides. American Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva) American Yellow WarblerSetophaga aestivaOther than in male breeding plumage and body size, all warbler subspecies are very similar.

Side by side: Cerulean Warbler vs Golden-cheeked Warbler · Golden-cheeked Warbler vs Hermit Warbler · Golden-cheeked Warbler vs Grace's Warbler · Adelaide's Warbler vs Golden-cheeked Warbler · Golden-cheeked Warbler vs Kirtland's Warbler · American Yellow Warbler vs Golden-cheeked Warbler

Learn the Golden-cheeked Warbler in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Every photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.