Magnolia Warbler
Setophaga magnolia · Warblers
Magnolia Warbler, male
Green-Wood Cemetery, 17 May 2026
A male Magnolia Warbler at Green-Wood in mid-May, on the way from the Caribbean to the spruce and fir forests of Canada. It is one of the commoner warblers of the spring passage through Brooklyn, and one of the easiest to name.
Bold black streaking across a yellow breast, forming almost a necklace, under a grey crown and black mask. The name is a historical accident: the first specimen happened to be collected from a magnolia tree on migration in Mississippi, and the species has no particular association with magnolias at all.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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