Philadelphia Vireo

Overview

The Philadelphia vireo (Vireo philadelphicus) is a small North American songbird belonging to the vireo family. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Adults feature olive-brown upperparts and notably yellow underparts, with a grey crown and dark eyes.
• Distinctive markings include a dark line through the eyes, a white stripe above the eye, and dark lores.
• The bird has thick blue-grey legs and a stout bill, with no wing bars or eye rings.
• Its song consists of three to five notes, transcribed as weeezh weeezh weeezh, with slightly longer pauses and higher pitch than the similar red-eyed vireo.

Habitat

These birds breed at the edges of deciduous and mixed woods across Canada. They migrate to Mexico and Central America for the winter, and are very rare vagrants to western Europe.

Diet

Philadelphia vireos forage for insects in trees, occasionally hovering or flying to catch prey in mid-air. They also consume berries, particularly prior to migration.

Did you know?

Although named after the city of Philadelphia, these birds are unlikely to visit the city except during migration.