Dwarf Vireo

Overview

The dwarf vireo (Vireo nelsoni) is a small bird in the family Vireonidae that is endemic to Mexico. It is currently assessed as being of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, although its population is believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Measures 10 to 11 cm in length with a weight of approximately 9.2 to 9.4 g.
• Adults have a bluish gray (males) or olive (females) crown, grayish white lores, and a broken eye-ring.
• Upperparts are grayish olive to olive, featuring two wing bars formed by dusky coverts with grayish white tips.
• Underparts are white with a faint grayish breast wash; the bird has a reddish iris, a blackish bill, and blue-gray legs.
• Song consists of rich, hurried warbling phrases such as 'whee chi-a-wee wee-chi', while calls include dry 'dri-dri-it' and mewing sounds.

Habitat

Found inland in southwestern Mexico from Jalisco and southern Guerrero south to central Oaxaca. It inhabits dry, semi-arid to arid scrublands that often contain oaks, ranging in elevation from 1,000 to 2,500 m.

Diet

The specific diet is unknown but is assumed to consist mostly of arthropods and some fruit. The bird typically forages singly or in pairs, usually near the ground.

Did you know?

The species was originally described in 1898 as Vireo nanus, but this binomial had already been used for the flat-billed vireo; James Bond coined the current name Vireo nelsoni in 1934 to resolve the conflict.