Warbling Vireo

Overview

The warbling vireo (Vireo gilvus) is a small North American songbird. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Mainly olive-grey on the head and upperparts with white underparts
• Features a white supercilium, brown eyes, and a light face
• Possesses thick blue-grey legs and a stout bill
• Length ranges from 12–13 cm with a wingspan of 22 cm and a weight of 10–16 g
• Song is a cheerful warble similar to that of the painted bunting and purple finch

Habitat

Breeding habitat consists of open deciduous and mixed woods from Alaska to Mexico, where it often nests in widely spaced cottonwood or aspen trees along streams or rivers. It migrates to Mexico and Central America for the winter, with specific subspecies wintering south of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec or in Mexico.

Diet

Warbling vireos forage for insects in trees by hopping along branches and sometimes hovering. They also consume berries, especially before migration and in winter quarters, showing a preference for gumbo-limbo seeds.

Did you know?

The male warbling vireo helps with incubation and may sing from the nest.