- 3.9–5.1 in - 7.9 in - 0.3–0.5 oz - Paruline obscure, la
fauvette obscure (French) - Chipe peregrino, Reinita verdilla
(Spanish) - The Tennessee Warbler breeds no closer to the state
of Tennessee than northern Michigan, more than 600 miles away,
and it winters some 1,400 miles away in southern Mexico and
southward. It was given its name in 1811 by Alexander Wilson who
first encountered the bird in Tennessee during its migration. -
Males of most other warblers in the genus Vermivora have small,
concealed patches of red or orange feathers on the tops of their
heads. The Tennessee Warbler usually does not, but a very few
males have a few reddish feathers there. - The Tennessee Warbler
is a common nectar "thief" on its wintering grounds in tropical
forests. Instead of probing a flower from the front to get the
nectar, and spreading pollen on its face in the process, the
warbler pierces the flower tube at its base and gets the reward
without performing any pollination. Breeds in boreal forest, in
open areas conta