Black-capped Vireo Back and Thriving
August 4, 2025 – The black-capped vireo has made a remarkable comeback in Texas after being on the brink of extinction. Thanks to decades of coordinated conservation by federal and state agencies, private landowners, and military installations, populations have rebounded dramatically, leading to the bird’s removal from the endangered species list in 2018.
In the 1980s, only a few hundred black-capped vireos remained in their fragmented breeding habitat across central Texas and Oklahoma. Intensive management efforts—including habitat restoration through controlled burns, careful grazing, and targeted trapping of brown-headed cowbirds—have allowed populations to flourish. For example, at Kerr Wildlife Management Area in Texas, the number of male territories expanded from just 27 in 1986 to around 500 in recent years.
More than 14,000 individuals are now estimated across their breeding range, and most of the large monitoring sites continue to show growth, though some populations are leveling off as they approach habitat limits. Post-delisting monitoring continues through 2030 to ensure the species remains secure and resilient in the face of drought, development, and other threats.
While the total number may have plateaued, the black-capped vireo stands as one of Texas’s most inspiring conservation success stories—demonstrating how partnership-driven stewardship and habitat science can bring a species back.
