Today in Cape May I saw a Cape May Warbler. The very first Cape May Warbler was recorded and identified in Cape May by Alexander Wilson around 1800. The name given to a new species is frequently related to the location where it was first seen, hence the name Cape May Warbler. But the name does not necessarily imply that the bird is a common bird of the area. In fact, more than one hundred years passed before the second Cape May Warbler was recorded in Cape May.
So do not rely on a bird’s name for a clue on where to find it. I have seen a Carolina Chickadee in Carolina and a Baltimore Oriole in Baltimore. Connecticut Warblers are rare in Connecticut, but Canada Warblers are more common. I’ve seen a Pine Warbler in a pine tree, but never a Palm Warbler in a palm tree.
Before today, I saw my first and only Cape May Warbler 4 years ago in Central Park. If I was a budding ornithologist I have might have named it the Central Park Warbler. The bird would never know. And it would confuse the many birders who flock to Central Park in spring. Chances are they wouldn’t find either a Central Park Warbler or a Cape May Warbler.