Limnothlypis swainsonii
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Swainson's warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii) is a small species of New World warbler. It is monotypic, the only member of the genus Limnothlypis. Swainson's warbler was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist.
Swainson's warblers are a small and rather undistinguished songbird, though they are fairly large for a New World warbler. Adults grow to 12.5–16 cm (4.9–6.3 in) in length and 11–20.5 g (0.39–0.72 oz) in weight. The wingspan averages 23 cm (9.1 in). They are a plain olive-brown above and pale yellow-white below. They have a whitish eyebrow stripe that runs above their eye, and the top of their head is a rusty brown. Unlike most other New World warblers that are mostly dimorphic, there is no difference in appearance between a male or female Swainson's warbler.
Swainson's warblers are uncommon, mostly found in flooded swamplands and canebrakes of the south-eastern United States. More rarely, they will also occur in rhododendron thickets in the southern Appalachian Mountains. They are a migratory species, with part of the population migrating southeastwards to the Greater Antilles (where it overwinters in the Blue Mountains... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | |
| 4 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 6 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 7 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 11 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 3 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Swainson's Warbler sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 389 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 82nd most-seen of the 173 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Swainson's Warbler in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to March, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Swainson's Warbler sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Swainson's Warbler sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park (Mexico, about 10%).
Same family: Parulidae
The closest relatives of the Swainson's Warbler that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Parulidae, New World Warblers) are Northern Parula (about 40%), Black-throated Green Warbler (about 30%) and Hooded Warbler (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Swainson's Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (389 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
