Both male and female Nashville warblers have a gray head fading into a greenish back and wings, a white belly and a yellow throat and breast.

Western birds of the race ridgwayi have a slightly lower-pitched, richer song, and a sharper call note.

[3] The Nashville warbler was originally described as Sylvia ruficapilla by Alexander Wilson in 1811, using a name which had already been used by John Latham, but not in a valid description according to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

The northeastern part of its range extends from Côte-Nord and Cape Breton Island in eastern Canada to central Alberta.

For the most part, it only breeds between about 52 and 45.5 degrees north, but it is also found less commonly in the Appalachians of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

They migrate to southernmost Texas and California, mid-Mexico, and the northernmost parts of Central America (Guatemala and El Salvador) in winter.

[8] Nashville warblers forage by gleaning in the lower parts of trees and shrubs, frequently flicking their tails.

Nests are open cups built out of bark strips, leaves, and moss, and are lined with fine materials such as feathers or hairs.