Choco Vireo

Overview

The Choco vireo (Vireo masteri) is a small passerine bird belonging to the family Vireonidae. It is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List, with a population that is believed to be decreasing due to habitat destruction.

Identification

• Approximately 12.5 cm long with an olive crown and a yellow buff to dingy yellowish supercilium.
• Features white arcs above and below the eye, a dusky stripe through the eye, and yellow-buff ear coverts.
• Olive upperparts that brighten towards the rump, with dusky grey wing coverts showing two distinct white wing bars.
• Song consists of about ten syllables lasting roughly two seconds with a three-part structure, typically heard from the forest canopy.

Habitat

Found in the Chocó region of Colombia and Ecuador, this species primarily inhabits the interior and edges of primary rainforest on both level ground and steep slopes. It favours forests with a high canopy, approximately 20 to 30 m, characterised by moss-covered trees and gaps from fallen trees, at elevations ranging roughly between 800 and 2,100 m.

Diet

The diet includes both adult and larval insects, which are gleaning from the undersides of leaves while perched or hanging upside-down. The bird usually forages singly or in pairs within the subcanopy and canopy, though it may move to lower levels at forest edges or in treefall gaps, occasionally joining mixed-species feeding flocks.

Did you know?

The naming rights to the bird's scientific name were auctioned to raise funds for conservation, with the winning bid of US $75,000 by Bernard Master used to establish the Pangan ProAves Reserve in Colombia.