Wilson's Warbler - Taxonomy and Etymology

Taxonomy and Etymology

The Wilson's Warbler was first described in 1811 by the ornithologist Alexander Wilson, who placed it in the genus Muscicapa. The species was moved to Wilsonia by the naturalist and ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1838. Zoologist Thomas Nuttall moved it to Sylvania in 1840, and by 1845, many authors included it in Myiodioctes. In 1899, the American Ornithological Union returned the species to Wilsonia. The species is currently assigned to the genus "Cardellina." The specific epithet "pusilla" means "small."

There are three recognized subspecies:

• W. p. pusilla was described by Alexander Wilson in 1811.
• W. p. pileolata was described by German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1811.
• W. p. chryseola was described by Robert Ridgway in 1902.

The Wilson's Warbler resembles the Yellow Warbler: the latter is readily distinguished by its different shape, yellow wing markings, and yellow tail spots.