#this is literally the setophaga poll and I *still* almost typed 'parula americana'

[proton-wobbler]

Warbler Showdown; Bracket 2, Poll 9

Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)

IUCN Rating: Least Concern

Range: typically breeds west of the Rockies, from lower British Columbia to the very northern edge of Mexico (mostly there in Baja California). Overwinters in Baja California Sur, as well as the Pacific slope of Mexico, sometimes along the interior of the country as well.

Habitat: found in open coniferous or mixed coniferous-deciduous woodlands with brushy undergrowth, as well as pinyon-juniper and pine-oak; this is true for breeding, migration, and winter habitats.

Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)

IUCN Rating: Least Concern

Range: breeds from southeast Manitoba to southern Quebec, as well as a heavy portion of Mid-Atlantic and Southern States. The extirpation (local extinction) of this species from the middle band of its range (the northern Midwest) is likely due to air pollution decimating the mosses which it uses to build its nest. Overwinters in Florida, heavily in the Caribbean, as well as the Yucatan and southern Mexico.

Habitat: breeds in mature, riparian ('riverside') forests with epiphytic growth. In winter, this bird is the complete opposite, becoming a habitat generalist across areas such as fields, pastures, scrub, dry to wet forests, croplands, and even commercial plantations.

Image Sources: BTYW (Mason Maron); Parula (Mollie Langdon)