Slaty Vireo

Overview

The Slaty Vireo (Vireo brevipennis) is a small bird species in the family Vireonidae, endemic to Mexico. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, though its population is believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Size: 11.5 to 12 cm (4.5 to 4.7 in) in length.
• Plumage: Unique slate gray face with blackish lores; olive green crown; upperparts are slate with an olive green tinge; white chin and belly with slate gray breast and flanks.
• Features: White iris, black bill, and dark gray or dusky legs and feet.
• Song: Described as varied, rich, and slightly burry phrases, often beginning or ending with an emphatic note, such as 'chik wi-di-weuw' or 'wheer chi-i-wik'.

Habitat

Found inland in southwestern Mexico from southern Jalisco south to central Oaxaca and somewhat east into western Veracruz. It inhabits scrublands, often with oaks, the understory and edges of pine-oak forest, and thickets between 1,200 and 3,000 m elevation.

Diet

Its diet is not known, though it is assumed to eat mostly arthropods. It forages mostly in the understory and is described as rather skulking.

Did you know?

Few vireos possess such striking plumage as the Slaty Vireo, whose appearance is unique in its range.