The Colima Warbler is a dull warbler with a very restricted range.
It breeds in only in the pine/oak forests of the Chisos mountains in western Texas and the Sierra Madre Oriental of northeast Mexico. [source: Cornell Bird Academy]
The only place to see the Colima Warbler in the U.S., is in Boot Canyon in Big Bend National Park, making it something of a ‘grail’ bird.
I tried twice for the Colima Warbler in 2025 and dipped both times. My mistakes? Going later in the season and starting too late in the day. Birds tend to be more vocal earlier in the breeding season and earlier in the morning. eBird reports show Colima’s begin showing up to Big Bend in significant numbers by April.
This time I started the 1800 ft climb from the Chisos Basin trailhead to Pinnacle Pass at 5:00 am, and arrived at Boot Canyon at sunrise.
I was rewarded with the sound of the Colima’s beautiful trill guiding me to the oak tree where it was feeding.
Feeling euphoric, I decided to loop back to Chisos Basin via the Laguna Meadows trail.
Chasing the Colima was the primary purpose of the trip, but I enjoyed birding around the Rio Grande Village campground in Big Bend, the Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve, and Davis Mountains State Park where this series of photos was taken.
(click on a frame to enlarge)
fun story about the Colima
Congratulations on the Colima sighting. Looks like you had to work for that one. I love the Lesser Nighthawk. That one brings bank memories when I lived in Wild Basin. Just about every evening – a little before sunset – one would begin its booming “supper” dives over Hwy 7.