3.3 Birds
overall understanding of the species. Te Golden-winged Warbler Working Group (GWWG 2013) developed best management practices for Golden-winged Warbler which identifes habitat and population goals and includes habitat supplements dedicated to specifc habitat types most important to Golden-winged Warbler in the Appalachian Mountains (e.g., Deciduous Forests, Abandoned Farmlands). Te Cerulean Warbler is declining at a rate of 3% annually (Sauer et al. 2013) and current population estimates represent a >75% decline compared to population estimates in 1966 (Buehler et al. 2008) . Western North Carolina’s core populations have been
Golden-winged Warbler (Caleb Putnam, Flickr) https://www.fickr.com/photos/27846187@N07/ Used under license CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
monitored biennially since 2012, and recent eforts have begun to delineate populations in the black- and brownwater foodplains of eastern North Carolina. Resources developed for managing habitat for the Cerulean Warbler in the Appalachian Mountains include Management Guidelines for Enhancing Breeding Habitat in Appalachian Hardwood Forests (Wood et al. 2013) and “Enhancing Cerulean Warbler Habitat in the Appalachians: A Guide for Foresters” (AMJV n.d.) . Many species that breed in the riparian areas of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of North Carolina are under-represented by traditional bird surveys (e.g., Swainson’s Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher, Kentucky Warbler, Yellow-billed Cuckoo). While surveys of these ripar- ian areas have been completed in recent years, continued efort will be needed to assess long-term trends. Red Crossbill and Southern Appalachian Black-capped Chickadee (also referred to as Black-capped Chickadee) inhabit the imperiled spruce–fr forests of west- ern North Carolina. Te Red Crossbill’s nomadic habits make it difcult to monitor. Te Black-capped Chickadee occurs in the Great Smoky Mountains and Plott Balsam Range, and hybridizes with Carolina Chickadee in the Great Balsam Range. Te logging boom of the 1880s–1930s reduced the southern Blue Ridge’s spruce–fr forests by half, and Balsam Woolly Adelgid subsequently caused extensive mortality of mature Fraser Fir forest. Te Eastern Painted Bunting inhabits the maritime forests and successional community habitats of eastern North Carolina (see community descriptions in Chapter 4). Population numbers have declined in the state and remain low (Sauer et al. 2013) . Monitoring of the spe- cies is adequate, but little is known about habitat parameters infuential to survival.
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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