{"id":92496,"date":"2021-07-24T07:03:49","date_gmt":"2021-07-24T13:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=92496"},"modified":"2025-10-10T12:17:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T17:17:26","slug":"nashville-and-macgillivrays-warblers-a-visual-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/07\/24\/nashville-and-macgillivrays-warblers-a-visual-comparison\/","title":{"rendered":"Nashville And MacGillivray\u2019s Warblers – A Visual Comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"

In late summer I see Nashville and MacGillivray\u2019s Warblers in the same locations and habitats foraging for the same food, aphids.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult male Nashville Warbler foraging in a willow \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Nashville Warblers will soon be migrating through northern Utah on their way to their wintering grounds south of the U.S. Mexico border. They don’t nest here in Utah but a similar looking warbler does and having both species in the same location can cause identification mishaps.<\/p>\n

In September of last year I photographed this adult male Nashville Warbler searching for aphids in the leaves of a willow on the edge of a thicket high in the Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nashville Warblers are small warblers with olive-green or grayish upperparts, bright yellow underparts, gray heads with chestnut brown caps and bright, white, complete eye rings. Their chestnut brown cap isn’t always visible. Females and juveniles are duller in coloration.<\/p>\n

Their unbroken white eye ring, yellow throat, yellow on their wings and the dorsal aspect of their tails are key ID features I use to separate them from from MacGillivray\u2019s Warblers. The complete white eye ring is apparent in both sexes and young Nashville Warblers. The throats of females and immature birds are a paler yellow than seen in adult males.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult male MacGillivray\u2019s Warbler resting in a willow \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

MacGillivray\u2019s Warblers are medium sized warblers that have olive green upperparts and yellow underparts, broken white eye-rings and slate gray hoods that extend to their upper breasts where is can darken to black. Females are similar but paler.<\/p>\n

This adult male MacGillivray\u2019s Warbler was photographed last August in the same willow thicket as the Nashville Warbler. He was taking a short break from foraging for aphids when I photographed him.<\/p>\n

The broken white eye rings and the slate gray hoods that ends midway on their breasts of MacGillivray\u2019s Warblers are key ID features that I use to separate them from Nashville warblers. The broken white eye rings and the gray hoods are apparent in both sexes and young MacGillivray\u2019s Warblers.<\/p>\n

I’m asked “What is it?” quite often in and out of the field and hopefully this comparison will help other people out when it comes to Nashville and MacGillivray\u2019s Warbler identification.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Nashville Warbler photos plus facts and information about this species. Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my MacGillivray\u2019s Warbler photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In late summer I see Nashville and MacGillivray\u2019s Warblers in the same locations and habitats foraging for the same food, aphids.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":133402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,7345,10365,1731,26,773],"tags":[4004,10254,3940,4982,4136,7346,6233,5013,10366,7347,4062,4069,10367,4104,4156,9626,4018,2315,12035,3888,3889,6107,6070,902,6492],"class_list":["post-92496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-macgillivrays-warblers","category-nashville-warblers","category-summit-county-utah","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-adult","tag-aphids","tag-canyon","tag-comparison","tag-foraging","tag-geothlypis-tolmiei","tag-id","tag-identification","tag-leiothlypis-ruficapilla","tag-macgillivrays-warbler","tag-male","tag-mountains","tag-nashville-warbler","tag-perched","tag-resting","tag-riparian-habitat","tag-sky","tag-summer-3","tag-versus","tag-warbler","tag-warblers","tag-willow","tag-willow-thicket","tag-willows","tag-wood-warblers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/nashville-warbler-male-in-willows-mia-mcpherson-5542.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-o3S","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":73750,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/09\/15\/photographing-late-summer-nashville-warblers\/","url_meta":{"origin":92496,"position":0},"title":"Photographing Late Summer Nashville Warblers","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I parked next to a stand of willows to see what birds would come in and it wasn't long before I was busy photographing Nashville Warblers foraging for aphids on the leaves of the trees.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Foraging adult male Nashville Warbler, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nashville-warbler-on-willow-mia-mcpherson-5502.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nashville-warbler-on-willow-mia-mcpherson-5502.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Warbler with aphids on his bill, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nashville-warbler-in-willow-mia-mcpherson-6608.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nashville-warbler-in-willow-mia-mcpherson-6608.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nashville-warbler-in-willow-mia-mcpherson-6608.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nashville-warbler-in-willow-mia-mcpherson-6608.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":73405,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/09\/03\/upside-down-nashville-warbler-foraging-for-aphids\/","url_meta":{"origin":92496,"position":2},"title":"Upside Down Nashville Warbler Foraging For Aphids","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I wanted to share this particular image today and explain how I got this shot of an upside down male Nashville Warbler hanging on a willow branch while foraging for aphids.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nashville Warbler hanging upside down while foraging, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nashville-warbler-upside-down-in-willow-mia-mcpherson-9427.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nashville-warbler-upside-down-in-willow-mia-mcpherson-9427.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Chicks","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"My best opportunities photographing the adult MacGillivray's Warblers with food for their young yesterday happened when the female popped into view with prey in her bill.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female MacGillivray's Warbler with food for her chicks, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/macgillivrays-warbler-female-with-food-mia-mcpherson-3425.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/macgillivrays-warbler-female-with-food-mia-mcpherson-3425.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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