Tennessee Warbler in Roatan, Honduras.

The Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina) is a New World warbler that breeds in eastern North America and winters in southern Central America and northern South America. The genus name Oreothlypis is from Ancient Greek oros, “mountain,” and thlupis, an unidentified small bird; thlypis is often used in the scientific names of New World warblers. The specific peregrina is from Latin peregrinus “wanderer.”

Tennessee Warbler in Roatan, Honduras.

The Tennessee Warbler is 4.5 inches long and weighs roughly 0.35 oz. The breeding male has olive back, shoulders, rump, and vent. The flight feathers are brownish-black. It has a slate gray neck, crown and eye-line. The underside is a gray-white. The female is similar to the male, but is much duller and has a greener tinge to the underside. The Tennessee warbler has long wings, short tail, and a thin, pointy bill. Juveniles and first-year birds are quite similar to the female. [Wikipedia]

Tennessee Warbler

Tennessee Warbler Facts [All About Birds]

• 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 Oreothlypis 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.
• The oldest recorded Tennessee Warbler was at least 4 years, 7 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in the West Indies. It had been banded in Pennsylvania.