MacGillivray’s Warbler

Geothlypis tolmiei

MacGillivray’s Warblers are migratory and spend their summers in the temperate forests of the western United States, and in the boreal forests of British Columbia and western Canada. In winter, they migrate back to Mexico and Central America. In 2012 scientists renamed this bird’s genus from Oporornis to Geothlypis.

There is a shyness to their nature, often making them difficult to locate, even in habitats where they are plentiful. Dense shrubs and brush, rather than trees and forests, are their preferred habitat.

Despite the similarity in appearance to their close relatives, the Mourning Warblers, neither the summer nor the winter ranges of these birds overlap. Studies show that MacGillivray’s Warblers migrate entirely over land.

Modern science recognises two subspecies of MacGillivray’s Warblers. G. t. tolmiei breeds west of the major Pacific ranges and G. t. monticola breeds east of them.