Cerulean Warbler Status Assessment April 2000
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Cerulean Warbler Status Assessment April 2000 Prepared by: For more information contact: Paul B. Hamel U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Forest Service Nongame Bird Coordinator Southern Research Station Federal Building, 1 Federal Drive Box 227 Fort Snelling, MN 55111-4056 Stoneville, MS 38776 CERULEAN WARBLER STATUS ASSESSMENT Prepared by: Paul B. Hamel U. S. Forest Service Southern Research Station Box 227 Stoneville, MS 38776 April 2000 i TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES........................................ v DISCLAIMER....................................................... vii SUMMARY......................................................... vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................ x 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................... 1 2. TAXONOMY ...................................................... 1 3. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION........................................... 2 4. RANGE .......................................................... 2 4.1. Breeding Range ............................................. 3 4.2. Non-breeding Range ......................................... 3 4.2.1 Belize .............................................. 4 4.2.2 Bolivia.............................................. 4 4.2.3 Colombia............................................ 4 4.2.4 Costa Rica........................................... 4 4.2.5 Ecuador ............................................. 5 4.2.6 Guatemala........................................... 5 4.2.7 Honduras ............................................ 5 4.2.8 Mexico.............................................. 5 4.2.9 Panama ............................................. 5 4.2.10 Peru............................................... 5 4.2.11 Venezuela .......................................... 6 5. BIOLOGY/NATURAL HISTORY ....................................... 6 5.1. Reproduction ............................................... 6 5.1.1. Breeding Behavior .................................... 6 5.1.2. Territory Size ........................................ 7 5.1.3. Nest Site............................................ 7 5.1.4. Number of Broods .................................... 8 5.1.5. Clutch Size.......................................... 8 5.1.6. Incubation Period ..................................... 8 5.1.7. Nestling Period....................................... 8 5.1.8. Nesting Success ..................................... 8 5.1.9. Mortality............................................ 9 5.1.10. Longevity .......................................... 9 5.1.11. Banding Data ....................................... 9 5.1.12. Site Fidelity........................................ 10 ii 5.2. Migration ................................................. 10 5.3. Food Habits ............................................... 11 6. HABITAT........................................................ 12 6.1. Breeding Season Habitat ..................................... 12 6.1.1. General Descriptive Information ......................... 12 6.1.2. Summary of Preferred Microhabitats ..................... 14 6.1.3. Tree Species ....................................... 14 6.1.4. Tree Size.......................................... 15 6.1.5. Canopy Cover ...................................... 16 6.1.6. Tract Size.......................................... 16 6.1.7. Topography ........................................ 18 6.2. Non-breeding Season Habitat ................................. 18 6.2.1. Winter Habitats ..................................... 18 6.2.2. Migration Stopover Habitats ............................ 19 7. POPULATION TRENDS AND ESTIMATES ............................. 20 7.1. North American Breeding Bird Survey ........................... 20 7.1.1. Physiographic Area Summaries ......................... 24 7.2. Breeding Bird Census ....................................... 25 7.3. Breeding Bird Atlases ....................................... 26 7.4. Geographical Area Summaries ................................ 26 7.4.1. Central and South America ............................ 27 7.4.2. Canada ............................................ 27 Nova Scotia ........................................ 27 Ontario............................................ 27 Quebec ............................................ 27 7.4.3. United States....................................... 28 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 1 .................. 28 Nevada ...................................... 28 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 2 .................. 28 Oklahoma .................................... 29 Texas........................................ 29 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 .................. 29 Illinois........................................ 30 Indiana....................................... 31 Iowa......................................... 31 Michigan ..................................... 32 Minnesota .................................... 32 Missouri...................................... 33 Ohio......................................... 34 Wisconsin .................................... 35 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 4 .................. 36 Alabama ..................................... 36 Arkansas..................................... 37 iii Florida....................................... 37 Georgia ...................................... 38 Kentucky ..................................... 38 Louisiana ..................................... 39 Mississippi.................................... 40 North Carolina................................. 40 South Carolina................................. 40 Tennessee .................................... 41 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5 .................. 41 Connecticut ................................... 42 Delaware..................................... 42 Maryland and District of Columbia .................. 43 Massachusetts................................. 43 New Hampshire................................ 43 New Jersey ................................... 44 New York..................................... 44 Pennsylvania .................................. 45 Rhode Island .................................. 45 Vermont...................................... 46 Virginia....................................... 46 West Virginia.................................. 47 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6 .................. 48 Colorado ..................................... 48 Kansas....................................... 48 Nebraska..................................... 48 South Dakota.................................. 48 8. THREATS ....................................................... 49 8.1. Present or Threatened Destruction, Modification, or Curtailment of the Species’ Habitat or Range................................... 49 8.1.1. Present and Historical Breeding Habitat Loss .............. 51 8.1.2. Present and Potential Non-breeding Habitat Loss ........... 53 Winter Habitat....................................... 53 Migratory Stopover Habitat ............................. 53 8.2. Overutilization for Commercial, Recreational, Scientific or Educational Purposes................................................ 54 8.3. Disease or Predation ........................................ 54 8.4. Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms ................... 55 8.5. Other Natural or Man-made Factors Affecting its Continued Existence . 57 9. SUMMARY OF LAND OWNERSHIP AND EXISTING HABITAT PROTECTION FOR POPULATIONS................................................ 57 10. MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ....................................... 57 10.1. General Management Approach .............................. 58 iv 10.1.1. Silviculture of Breeding Habitat ........................ 58 10.1.2. Winter Habitat Management .......................... 59 10.1.3. Other Management Considerations and Opportunities ...... 60 10.2. Monitoring Effects of Management Activities ..................... 60 11. PAST AND CURRENT CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN TO BENEFIT THE SPECIES ......................................... 61 11.1. Partners in Flight .......................................... 61 12. SURVEYS, MONITORING, AND RESEARCH NEEDS ................... 62 12.1. Surveys ................................................. 62 12.2. Monitoring ............................................... 63 12.3. Research Needs .......................................... 64 12.3.1. High Priority Activities................................ 64 12.3.2. Moderate Priority Activities ............................ 65 12.3.3. Low Priority Activities................................ 66 13. LITERATURE CITED ............................................. 67 14. APPENDIX .................................................... 126 15. LIST OF CONTACTS ............................................ 131 Information Requests........................................... 131 Requests for Review ........................................... 137 v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1.a. List of measurements of cerulean warbler specimens, from a sample of 45 specimens in various plumages in the collections of the U.S. National Museum, and banding records from two locations. Measurements in mm (1mm = 0.039 in). ......................................... 87 Table 1.b. Weights of cerulean warblers, from various sources. Measurements in g (1g = 0.036 oz). ........................................... 89 Table 2. Synopsis of the distribution of cerulean warblers in North