MacGillivray's warbler (''Geothlypis tolmiei'') is a species of

New World warbler The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds that make up the family Parulidae and are restricted to the New World. They are not closely related to Old World warblers or Australian warblers. Mos ...

. These birds are sluggish and heavy warblers, preferring to spend most of their time on, or near the ground, except when singing. left, A MacGillivray's warbler pair by Bruce Horsfall The MacGillivray's warbler was named by John James Audubon in honor of Scottish ornithologist

William MacGillivray William MacGillivray FRSE (25 January 1796 – 4 September 1852) was a Scottish naturalist and ornithologist. Life and work MacGillivray was born in Old Aberdeen and brought up on Harris. He returned to Aberdeen where he studied Medicin ...

, although the proper credit to its discovery goes to

John Kirk Townsend John Kirk Townsend (August 10, 1809 – February 6, 1851) was an American naturalist, ornithologist and collector. Townsend was a Quaker born in Philadelphia, the son of Charles Townsend and Priscilla Kirk. He attended Westtown School in ...

. The specific name was given in honor of William Fraser Tolmie. Adult MacGillivray's warblers are an olive-green color on their upperparts and dull yellow below. Males have black heads and breasts, while females and immature birds have drab light gray heads; both males and females have broken white eye-rings. The song is a series of repeated two-note phrases, gradually increasing in volume, ending with two single notes: ''jeeter jeeter jeeter JEETER JEETER jeet jeet''. MacGillivray's warblers are very similar to their eastern counterpart, the

mourning warbler The mourning warbler (''Geothlypis philadelphia'') is a small songbird of the New World warbler family. Mourning warblers are native to eastern and central North America as well as some countries in Central America.Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R. ''Patu ...

, the primary difference between the two species being the mourning warbler's lack of an eye-ring. Measurements: * Length: * Weight: * Wingspan: MacGillivray's warblers are migratory and spend their summers in temperate forests in the western

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, and in

boreal forests Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, ...

of west

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. In autumn, these birds migrate to

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, where they stay in temperate shrublands for the winter.

References

External links

MacGillivray's warbler - ''Oporornis tolmiei''
- USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

- Cornell Lab of Ornithology
MacGillivray's warbler videos
on the Internet Bird Collection

VIREO * ttp://www.sunrisebirding.com/07montanaweb/images/large/macwar650.jpg Photo-High Res--(Close-up) {{Taxonbar, from=Q27075896

MacGillivray's warbler MacGillivray's warbler (''Geothlypis tolmiei'') is a species of New World warbler. These birds are sluggish and heavy warblers, preferring to spend most of their time on, or near the ground, except when singing. left, A MacGillivray's warbler p ...

Native birds of Western Canada Native birds of the Western United States