Leiothlypis ruficapilla
The Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla) is a small, energetic New World warbler, measuring approximately 4.3-5.1 inches (11-13 cm) in length, with a wingspan of 6.7-7.9 inches (17-20 cm) and weighing around 8-12 grams. Its most distinctive field marks include a bright yellow throat and underparts, a contrasting gray head, a prominent white eye-ring, and an olive-green back. Males exhibit a subtle, rufous (rusty-red) patch on the crown, which is often concealed or absent in females and...
Nashville Warblers primarily inhabit open, deciduous or mixed coniferous-deciduous forests with a dense understory, often favoring clearings, bogs, and regenerating burn areas. They are typically found at mid-to-high elevations during the breeding season, moving to a broader range of shrubby habi...
The diet of the Nashville Warbler consists almost entirely of small insects and their larvae, primarily caterpillars, beetles, and spiders, supplemented by some berries and nectar during migration or winter. They primarily forage by gleaning insects from foliage and twigs, often hovering to extra...
Nashville Warblers are diurnal and highly active, constantly flitting through vegetation in search of insects. They are primarily solitary outside of the breeding season, occasionally joining mixed-species foraging flocks during migration and winter. Foraging involves active gleaning of insects f...
The Nashville Warbler has an extensive breeding range across the northern United States and Canada, primarily from British Columbia eastward through the Great Lakes region and New England to Nova Scotia. In the US, they breed from the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon) through the northern Ro...
Least Concern
- The Nashville Warbler was named after Nashville, Tennessee, where it was first described by Alexander Wilson in 1811, despite the fact that it does not breed in that area. - Males have a rusty-red patch on their crown, which is often difficult to see in the field unless the bird is agitated or ...