US Army Corps
of Engineers
Construction Engineering
Research Laboratories
USACERL Technical Report 98/52
March 1998
by
Leslie A. JettJ
Timothy J. Hayden
John D. Cornelius
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
The Golden-cheeked Warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia) is a federally endangered migratory passerine that has its breeding range contained in the central Texas area that includes Fort Hood. Its listing as endangered in 1991 was a result of the rapid degradation and increasing fragmentation of habitat, causing a decline in their population. To assist in conservation and recovery of the Golden-cheeked Warbler and comply with the Endan-gered Species Act, environmental managers need information on the demo-graphic parameters of the population on Fort Hood.
Researchers surveyed and documented the Golden-checked Warbler on Fort Hood, Texas
between 1991 and 1996. The population re-mained relatively stable, with a slight de-crease in 1996. The average return rate for males banded as adults was 45.5%; for males banded as juveniles the average was 16.9%. Dispersal distances for males banded as adults averaged 223 m. Dispersal distances for males banded as juveniles were signifi-cantly greater, with an average of 4,040 m. Densities of territorial males remained rela-tively stable between 1992 and 1996, with a peak density of 28 males per 100 ha (average of 18 males per 100 ha). Productivity of males within an intensive study area averaged 2.0 young per mated male.