The Cerulean Warbler is among the most threatened neotropical migrant land birds in South America. Cerulean Warblers spends their winters in tropical mountain forests in Colombia that also harbor rare, endemic birds. These areas have been severely altered by agricultural activities, and over 90 percent of the Cerulean Warbler’s preferred wintering habitat has been lost.
ABC Conservation Framework
Efforts to save this species comes under Safeguarding the Rarest within ABC's Conservation Framework
Neotropical migrants, including the Cerulean, Golden-winged, Tennessee, Black-and-white, Mourning, Canada, Blackburnian, and Black-throated Blue Warblers, American Redstart, Northern Waterthrush, and Rose- breasted Grosbeak. Endemic species include the Gorgeted Wood-Quail, Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird, and Niceforo’s Wren, and the endangered White-mantled Barbet, Black Inca and Mountain Grackle.
YouTube - ENDEMIC - Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird - Andrea Borras - Luis Uruena by MANAKINNATURETOURS
Solutions
The Cerulean Warbler Conservation Corridor comprises three private reserves – Pauxi Pauxi Reserve (Helmeted Curassow), Cerulean Warbler Reserve (Gorgeted Wood-Quail) and Chicamocha Reserve (Niceforo’s Wren), all owned and operated by ABC’s Colombian partner Fundación ProAves. The reserves were established to protect not only key wintering habitat for migrant songbirds, but also the last remaining forests for species recognized by the Alliance for Zero Extinction. ABC is creating a forested corridor between these reserves on privately owned farmland through a suite of conservation tools, including land acquisition, conservation easements, and shade coffee production. Another key component is to link conservation efforts here to the important work being done in the United States.
ABC Results
ABC and ProAves acted rapidly to purchase three tracts of land and a coffee farm totaling 479 acres to create the Cerulean Warbler Reserve. These properties were selected because studies by ABC and ProAves revealed that they have among the highest densities of wintering Cerulean Warblers in Colombia. These studies also instigated the creation of the nearly 200,000-acre Yariguies National Park that borders ProAves’ Cerulean Warbler Reserve.
In 2009 and 2010, along the corridor between the Pauxi Pauxi and Cerulean Warbler Reserves, 13 conservation easements were created on over 300 acres of farm land.
Reforestation efforts have involved the planting of 21,000 trees across more than 800 acres (of the 48,000 planned) along the corridor, converting agricultural land to shade coffee production and forest.
Continue to enlist more farmers in placing conservation easements on their land.
Acquire additional property to enlarge the reserves at either end of the corridor.
Purchase a shade cacao farm to bring in income that will help sustain conservation activities and the management of the protected areas, while providing additional habitat for the warbler.
Reach out to the communities living in the corridor to promote environmental stewardship.
Donate to help ABC’s international conservation efforts that include land purchase, reserve management, and other conservation initiatives to protect the most endangered birds in Colombia.
