Golden Vireo

Overview

The golden vireo, also known as the golden greenlet (Vireo hypochryseus), is a species of bird in the family Vireonidae. It is endemic to Mexico, where it exists as a year-round resident across three distinct subspecies.

Identification

• Length of 12 to 13 cm with an average weight of 12.2 g, featuring lemon yellow underparts and yellowish olive-green upperparts.
• A wide lemon yellow supercilium and a dark streak running through the eye, accompanied by a pinkish grey bill and blue-grey legs.
• Song described as a rapid series of bright notes, such as 'whee-whee-whee-wheet' or 'jujujujujeet', often ending with a sharp upward inflection.
• Calls include an accelerating, nasal scolding 'chih cheh-chehchehchehcheh' and a dry 'chk' or 'chik'.

Habitat

Found in western Mexico, the species inhabits deciduous and gallery forests, arid to semi-humid scrublands, and plantations within the tropical zone. Its range extends from Sinaloa south to Oaxaca for the nominate subspecies, with other subspecies located in Sonora and on the Tres Marías Islands. It occupies elevations ranging from 1,000 m to 2,000 m, depending on the source.

Diet

Primarily insectivorous, though it also consumes some fruit. The bird forages from the mid-story to the canopy of the forest and occasionally joins mixed-species feeding flocks, although its specific foraging techniques are not well documented.

Did you know?

Although the breeding season is not fully defined, it includes June and July, with nests constructed as cups of plant fibres covered in moss or lichens and lined with fine fibres and cattle hair. These nests are built in branch forks between 3 and 6 m above the ground, containing a clutch of three eggs marked with reddish streaks and dots.