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Tennessee Warbler

Status Fairly common in summer. Breeds. It was evidently overlooked by nineteenth-century observers prior to Downs (1888), who recorded it as "rather common inland." It is among the later warblers to arrive (average 16 May, earliest 7 May) and can still be found on the move during early June in places where it does not nest. It is particularly common in summer on Cape Breton Island. From limited reports of last sightings, it has largely left the province by early September, but a few stragglers are routine into October (average 12 October, latest 11 November). There is also one record of a bird at a Dartmouth feeder on 2 December 1983 (J.S. Cohrs).

Description Length: 11.5-13 cm. Adult male: Crown and cheeks pale blue-gray; back and rump bright olive-green; ends of wings and tail dark gray; a conspicuous white line over eye and fine black line through eye; entire underparts dirty white, sometimes tinged with yellow; no wing bars. Adult female: Similar to male but crown washed with green, and underparts distinctly washed with yellow.

Breeding Nest: On the ground in open woodland, pasture or clearing, and well concealed. Composed of grass and moss, with lining of soft grass and hairs. Eggs: 45; white, with a wreath of dark brown spots around the larger end. On 7 June 1922 at Albany, Annapolis County, a nest in open bushy pasture near the edge of woods was embedded in the moss on the side of a small mound; it was made of grass, with some deer hairs in the lining (H.F. Tufts). On 22 June 1923 a nest similar in construction and location and containing five newly hatched young was found near Wolfville. On 5 July 1916 at Albany, Annapolis County, a parent was seen carrying food to its young, but the nest was not located.

Range Breeds from southeastern Alaska, central Mackenzie Valley, northern Manitoba, northern Quebec and western Newfoundland, south to the Maritimes, northeastern New York State, southern Manitoba, central Saskatchewan and northwestern Montana. Winters from southern Mexico to northern South America.

Remarks This inconspicuous, vireo-like warbler has a distinct white line over its eye, an excellent field mark if the bird is close enough. During the nesting season, despite its ground-nesting habits and the marked preference it shows for bushy pastures as nest sites, it tends to feed among the treetops, a trait which adds to the difficulty of identifying it positively in life.

Its song is merely a short, rapid, high-pitched twitter, the tones of which have been likened to those of the Chimney Swift's chatter.

Its name is derived from the fact that it was first described from a specimen which by mere chance was collected in Tennessee and is in no way indicative of its distribution.