MacGillivray's Warbler

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The MacGillivray's Warbler, Oporornis tolmiei, is a small species of New World warbler. Like all members of the genus Oporornis, it is a sluggish and heavy warbler with a short tail, preferring to spend most of its time on or near the ground, except when singing.

The MacGillivray's Warbler was named by John James Audubon in honor of Scottish ornithologist William MacGillivray, even though proper credit to its discovery goes to John Kirk Townsend.

An adult MacGillivray's Warbler will grow to be about 13 cm in length. It is an olive-green color on top and dull yellow below. Males have a black head and breast, while females and immature birds have a dingy light gray head. They have a white eye-ring that surround their eyes. MacGillivray's Warblers are almost identical to their eastern counterpart the Mourning Warbler, with the only real difference between the two species being the Mourning Warbler's lack of an eye-ring.

MacGillivray's Warblers are migratory and spend summer in the temporate forests of the western United States and boreal forests of west Canada. In the fall they will migrate back to Central America, where they will stay for winter in the temperate shrublands.

References

• BirdLife International (2004). [Oporornis tolmiei]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

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