Nashville Warbler
Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Nashville Warblers breed in open mixed woods and bog habitats in southern Canada and the northeastern and western United States of America. They build their cup-shaped nests on the ground under shrubs. Genetic researchers have convinced the scientific community that the old genus Vermivora was inaccurate and reclassified this bird in the genus Leiothlypis.
There are two recognised subspecies of Nashville Warbler:
- L. r. ruficapilla, the nominate subspecies, breeds in the east across southern and southeast Canada. Alexander Wilson discovered it near Nashville (Tennessee) in 1811 (hence the name). Most spend winters in eastern Mexico and Central America, but a few stay in south Texas when not breeding.
- L. r. ridgwayi breeds from southern British Columbia and southwest Alberta, south to central Idaho in the east and mountains of Oregon through northern California. They migrate to wintering grounds mainly in west Mexico, but some stay along the coast of California. In 1868, Robert Ridgway discovered this bird in Nevada, and called it the Calaveras Warbler.
The Nashville Warbler is a species I became familiar with while visiting the upper slopes of Santa Rosa Mountain in southern Riverside County (California). In 2016, while driving on the forestry roads over the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon, I met them on their breeding grounds. My most recent encounters came while I attended the spring migration spectacle on South Padre Island in 2021.
33 Photos

Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Santa Rosa Mountain, Southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2004:08:25 14:53 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: JCD_9003NashvilleWarbler |
© 2004 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Late summer bird at the 'Springs' on Santa Rosa Mountain, Southern Riverside County, California USA 2004-08-04. |
Date Taken: 2004:08:04 14:24 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/60 |
File Name: JCD_7900NashvilleWarbler |
© 2004 Jack Daynes, www.shadetree-imaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Late summer bird at the 'Springs' on Santa Rosa Mountain, Southern Riverside County, California USA 2004-07-31. |
Date Taken: 2004:07:31 11:13 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/60 |
File Name: JCD_7831NashvilleWarbler |
© 2004 Jack Daynes, www.shadetree-imaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Bird found late summer in Garden Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains, near Sierra Vista, Arizona USA 2003-08-29. |
Date Taken: 2003:08:29 11:59 |
Location:
Garden Canyon |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/200 |
File Name: JCD_1206NashvilleWarbler |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Santa Rosa Mountain. Southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2005:09:07 12:05 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/6.3, 1/80 |
File Name: JCD1088NashvilleWarbler |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: The Springs at Santa Rosa Mountain. Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:13 9:26 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/100 |
File Name: D3X3789-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: At the 'Springs' on Santa Rosa Mountain. Elevation 7400' on southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:30 13:40 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/100 |
File Name: D3X9140-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: At the 'Springs' on Santa Rosa Mountain. Elevation 7400' on southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:30 10:53 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/400 |
File Name: D3X8868-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: At the 'Springs' on Santa Rosa Mountain. Elevation 7400' on southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:30 10:52 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X8866-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: At the 'Springs' on Santa Rosa Mountain. Elevation 7400' on southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:30 9:57 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/80 |
File Name: D3X8792-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: The Springs at Santa Rosa Mountain. Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:13 10:45 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/100 |
File Name: D3X4077-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Santa Rosa Mountain, Southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2004:08:25 14:53 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: JCD_9008NashvilleWarbler |
© 2004 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: The springs on Santa Rosa Mountain, at 7500 feet elevation in southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2016:08:31 8:52 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D724086-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: The springs on Santa Rosa Mountain, at 7500 feet elevation in southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2016:08:31 8:43 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D724064-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: The springs on Santa Rosa Mountain, at 7500 feet elevation in southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2016:08:31 8:42 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D724060-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: This bird was found in the company of Yellow-Rumped and Hermit Warblers along the Siskiyou Crest Road (USFS-20) between Ashland and the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2016:05:02 13:48 |
Location:
Siskiyou Crest Road |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D729854-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: (Oreothlypis ruficapilla) This bird was found in the company of Yellow-Rumped and Hermit Warblers along the Siskiyou Crest Road (USFS-20) between Ashland and the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon. USA 2016-05-02 |
Date Taken: 2016:05:02 13:41 |
Location:
Siskiyou Crest Road |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D729844-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: This bird was found in the company of Yellow-Rumped and Hermit Warblers along the Siskiyou Crest Road (USFS-20) between Ashland and the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2016:05:02 13:36 |
Location:
Siskiyou Crest Road |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D729841-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: This bird was found in the company of Yellow-Rumped and Hermit Warblers along the Siskiyou Crest Road (USFS-20) between Ashland and the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2016:05:02 13:31 |
Location:
Siskiyou Crest Road |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D729831-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: This bird was found in the company of Yellow-Rumped and Hermit Warblers along the Siskiyou Crest Road (USFS-20) between Ashland and the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2016:05:02 13:28 |
Location:
Siskiyou Crest Road |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D729829-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: The springs on Santa Rosa Mountain, at 7500 feet elevation in southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2016:08:31 8:42 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D724047-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Twin Lakes in Mammoth California elevation 8625 feet. Mono County California in the eastern Sierras. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:16 9:00 |
Location:
Twin Lakes |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: NashvilleWarbler_D5X9636-TwinLakes |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Twin Lakes in Mammoth California elevation 8625 feet. Mono County California in the eastern Sierras. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:16 9:00 |
Location:
Twin Lakes |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: NashvilleWarbler_D5X9625-TwinLakes |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


NashvilleWarbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Santa Rosa Mountain, Southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2004:07:31 11:13 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/60 |
File Name: JCD_7832NashvilleWarbler |
© 2004 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: At the 'Springs' on Santa Rosa Mountain. Elevation 7400' on southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:08:30 10:55 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/400 |
File Name: D3X8881-NashvilleWarbler |
© 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Most Nashville Warblers winter in Mexico, though a few will stay in south Texas until the call of migration sends them north as far as southern Canada. With spring migration on South Padre Island (Texas) picking up, there’s no other place I’d rather be in April. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:02 13:00 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: NashvilleWarbler_D5X0267-SPI_ConventionCentre |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: I found Nashville Warblers at both Sheepshead and the Convention Center. Sunday was a day when the birds and then birders increased their respective presence on South Padre Island. Both are to be expected as spring migration steps up the bird numbers moving through on their way north. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:11 10:36 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: NashvilleWarbler_D5X4143-SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: I found Nashville Warblers at both Sheepshead and the Convention Center. Sunday was a day when the birds and then birders increased their respective presence on South Padre Island. Both are to be expected as spring migration steps up the bird numbers moving through on their way north. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:11 11:12 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: NashvilleWarbler_D5X4242-SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: The Bottlebrush Tree (Genus Callistemon) is indigenous to Australia, but was a favorite to most of the migrant birds on the island. My plan for an early start to my day chasing birds on South Padre Island backfired when a fog so heavy greeted me that my lens got coated with dew, rendering the already dark shadows where my subjects foraged were hopeless. During my last hour there, the lighting improved. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:13 9:41 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/125 |
File Name: NashvilleWarbler_D5X4618-SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: The Bottlebrush Tree (Genus Callistemon) is indigenous to Australia, but was a favorite to most of the migrant birds on the island. My plan for an early start to my day chasing birds on South Padre Island backfired when a fog so heavy greeted me that my lens got coated with dew, rendering the already dark shadows where my subjects foraged were hopeless. During my last hour there, the lighting improved. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:13 9:41 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/125 |
File Name: NashvilleWarbler_D5X4629-SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Some of his friends were already here, but more Nashville Warblers arrived with the big fallout. This weekend provided the “perfect storm” for a warbler fallout on South Padre Island; a cold north wind, rain, and a ton of birds trying to head north. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:17 12:50 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/250 |
File Name: NashvilleWarbler_D5X6654-SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Some of his friends were already here, but more Nashville Warblers arrived with the big fallout. This weekend provided the “perfect storm” for a warbler fallout on South Padre Island; a cold north wind, rain, and a ton of birds trying to head north. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:17 12:50 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/350 |
File Name: NashvilleWarbler_D5X6670-SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Nashville Warbler(Leiothlypis ruficapilla) |
Description: Some of his friends were already here, but more Nashville Warblers arrived with the big fallout. This weekend provided the “perfect storm” for a warbler fallout on South Padre Island; a cold north wind, rain, and a ton of birds trying to head north. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:17 13:25 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/350 |
File Name: NashvilleWarbler_D5X6955-SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |

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