heir habitat is similar to that of the Chestnut-Sided Warbler, consisting mostly of abandoned farmland which have grown into shrubby second growth woodlands.  They have also been reported to breed in power line right of ways as long as some woodlands are located nearby.  They tend not to breed as far north as the Chestnut-sided Warbler, and is absent from most of New England.  They are also absent from southeastern Canada, except near the Great Lakes.  They arrive north about mid-May and migrate back south around September.  Their winter range is from southern Mexico to northern South America but mostly in the highlands of Costa Rica and Panama.

In the early morning hours or shortly before sundown, the males will mark their territory with the song which can be heard by clicking the audio file to the left.  They have a second more staccato like song that they use more aggressively in male to male encounters.

In the past few decades, the bird has expanded its habitat to the north bringing it into contact with its close relative, the Blue-winged Warbler.  Where their ranges overlap they frequently hybridize.  These hybrids were once thought to be a different species.  The hybrid successfully breed only about 50% of the time, while the parental types successfully breed nearly 90% of the time supporting the contention that the Blue-wing and Golden-wing are indeed separate species.  These hybrids tend to breed with the dominant species rather than with other hybrids.  It appears that the "Brewster's" hybrid represents the dominant characteristics of both species. The white underparts of the Golden-wing and the thin eye stripe and white wing bars of the Blue-wing.   "Lawrence's Warbler" is more varied as it may take on some of the recessive genes such as the bolder face pattern of the Golden-wing and the yellow underparts of the Blue-wing.

If the present trend continues the Golden-winged Warbler will surely become extinct.  The Blue-winged Warbler is   thought to out compete the Golden-wing and may eventually threaten the survival of the species.  In addition, the Golden-winged Warbler is more dependent upon the successional growth than the Blue-winged for breeding.  As this successional growth matures into forests, the Golden-wing continues to decline in numbers.   And like other warblers that prefer the forests edges the Brown-headed Cowbird contributes to the decline.   Logging and intermittent farming as well as controlled forest fires could increase the habitat that is favorable to the Golden-wing as well as other species such as the American Woodcock.   However, the impact of the Blue-winged Warbler is not fully known, and any effort to save this species from extinction would have to take into account the impact of competition by the Blue-wing.

The clutch consists of 5 white eggs with purplish spots laid in a cup of dead leaves, grape vine bark, long grasses, and lined with fine plant fibers. The nest is place low or on the ground well concealed in dense vegetation, often blending right in with the outside edges interwoven with grass blades.   The eggs are incubated by the female for about 10 days and leave the nest 10 to 12 days later.  They generally produce only one brood, but will renest if the first nest is destroyed.

The diet consists almost entirely of insects.

Length: 4 1/2 inches