Yellow-browed Shrike-Vireo

Overview

The yellow-browed shrike-vireo, Vireolanius eximius, is a species of bird in the family Vireonidae. It is classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN but is considered relatively uncommon and arguably the least common of the four species of Vireolanius.

Identification

• Length ranges from 13 to 14 cm, with sexes appearing similar though females possess duller plumage.
• Features a sky-blue forehead, crown, and nape with emerald-green upperparts and dull emerald-green tail.
• Displays a bright lemon-yellow supercilium extending from the bill past the eye, accompanied by a matching patch under the eye and lemon-yellow chin and throat.
• Song varies by location, described as a continuously repeated "peer-peer-peer" or sustained "túuu---" in Panama, and "lu lu lu lu" in Colombia.

Habitat

The species inhabits lowland and montane evergreen forest within tropical and lower subtropical zones. Its range extends from Darién Province in eastern Panama into northwestern Colombia and the Colombian-Venezuelan border regions, specifically the Serranía del Perijá and the Venezuelan state of Zulia. Altitude varies by location, reaching up to 1,500 m in Colombia and occasionally 1,700 m in Venezuela, though it remains below 1,000 m in Panama.

Diet

The specific diet of the yellow-browed shrike-vireo is not known but is assumed to be similar to that of the green shrike-vireo. It typically forages in the forest canopy and frequently joins mixed-species feeding flocks.

Did you know?

Formerly classified as a subspecies of the green shrike-vireo, the two species are recognised as forming a superspecies, although their further taxonomic relationship remains unsettled.