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The vireos /ˈvɪrioʊz/ make up a family, Vireonidae, of small to medium-sized passerine birds found in the New World (Canada to Argentina, including Bermuda and the West Indies) and Southeast Asia. "Vireo" is a Latin word referring to a green migratory bird, perhaps the female golden oriole, possibly the European greenfinch.[1][2]
They are typically dull-plumaged and greenish in color, the smaller species resembling wood warblers apart from their heavier bills. They range in size from the Chocó vireo, dwarf vireo and lesser greenlet, all at around 10 cm and 8g, to the peppershrikes and shrike-vireos at up to 17 cm and 40g.[3]
Most species are found in Middle America and northern South America. Thirteen species of true vireos occur farther north, in the United States, Bermuda[4] and Canada; of these all but Hutton's vireo are migratory. Members of the family seldom fly long distances except in migration.[5] They inhabit forest environments, with different species preferring forest canopies, undergrowth, or mangrove swamps.[3]
The resident species occur in pairs or family groups that maintain territories all year (except Hutton's vireo, which joins mixed feeding flocks). Most of the migrants defend winter territories against conspecifics. The exceptions are the complex comprising the red-eyed vireo, the yellow-green vireo, the black-whiskered vireo, and the Yucatan vireo, which winter in small wandering flocks.[5]
Males of most species are persistent singers. Songs are usually rather simple, monotonous in some species of the Caribbean littoral and islands, and most elaborate and pleasant to human ears in the Chocó vireo and the peppershrikes.[5]
The nests of many tropical species are unknown. Of those that are known, all build a cup-shaped nest that hangs from branches. The female does most of the incubation, spelled by the male except in the red-eyed vireo complex.[5]
All members of the family eat some fruit but mostly insects and other arthropods. They take prey from leaves and branches; true vireos also flycatch, and the gray vireo takes 5 percent of its prey from the ground.[5]
The six genera of these birds make up the family Vireonidae, and are believed to be related to the crow-like birds in family Corvidae and the shrikes in family Laniidae. Recent biochemical studies have identified two babbler genera (Pteruthius and Erpornis) which may be Old World members of this family.[7] Observers have commented on the vireo-like behaviour of the Pteruthius shrike-babblers, but apparently no-one suspected the biogeographically unlikely possibility of vireo relatives in Asia.
The family can be conveniently though perhaps inaccurately categorised by genus as the true vireos, the greenlets, the shrike-vireos and the peppershrikes. Preliminary genetic studies by Johnson et al. revealed large interspecific genetic distances between clades within Vireo and Hylophilus of a similar magnitude to differences between Cyclarhis and Vireolanius. Furthermore, some vireo and greenlet species may be closer to the peppershrikes than to their respective congeners. A more comprehensive study may reveal this family to be considerably undersplit at both the generic and species level.
The large head, relatively short tail, and stout bill with a hooked tip identify this as a vireo. This species has plain wings and a low-contrast face with bold dark eye. Western birds (swainsoni) show relatively dark gray crowns and olive green backs.
A stout, short-tailed songbird with a thick bill and plain wings. When viewed from the side, these vireos can appear fairly yellow on the flanks; however, note the white throat. The bold dark eye stands out on the relatively dull, low contrast face.
Large expanses of deciduous forest, particularly deciduous trees with large leaves (such as maples), typify Red-eyed Vireo habitat during the breeding season. On migration, look for them in nearly any type of forest, woodland, or woodlot (particularly in deciduous stands). It is often the commonest of vireo migrants.
VIREO (vireo.ansp.org), the most comprehensive bird image bank in the world, was started in 1979 to provide a centralized and well-curated collection of avian photos for scientific and public use. VIREO contains more than 150,000 images representing over 7,000 species from around the world. Its contributors include some of the best wildlife photographers around.
This is Oregon's only resident vireo. Although it is sometimes referred to as non-migratory, some seasonal movement has been observed. Similar in appearance and behavior to the more common and widespread Ruby-crowned kinglet.
Despite being one of the most common songbirds in deciduous and riparian forests throughout Oregon, the Warbling vireo is frequently overlooked. Its plumage is indistinct. It tends to forage high in the treetops, moving slowly and deliberately among twigs and leaves gleaning insects.
The Warbling vireo breeds in moderate densities in deciduous habitat throughout Oregon from sea level to montane areas. It is most abundant in the central Coast Range. It is moderately abundant west of the Cascades. During migration, it can be found in almost any deciduous habitat, including areas not typically used for breeding, such as riparian willows not associated with canopy trees.
The Red-eyed vireo is a fairly common summer breeder in Wallowa County and an uncommon to rare breeder in Union County, Baker County, and eastern Grant and Umatilla counties, and northern Malheur County.
A shy, secretive, and silver-tongued songbird, the tenacious least Bell's vireo has been to the brink of extinction and back in recent decades. Although it is federally protected and there has been an important surge in the least Bell's vireo population in Southern California, the bird remains susceptible to habitat destruction from the likes of urban development, overgrazing, and electric power lines. The Center's extensive work to protect the least Bell's vireo and its habitat by opposing harmful projects has been ongoing for more than a decade.
This vireo was known as the Solitary Vireo until genetic studies determined that it was in fact three species. The Solitary Vireo was then split into the Blue-headed Vireo in the eastern United States, and the Plumbeous and Cassin's Vireos in the west.
Vireos are small songbirds that can be difficult to see and even more difficult to identify. They have distinctive thick, blunt-tipped bills that are hooked at the end and they frequent dense foliage, often in the forest canopy, foraging for insects and fruit. They are more often heard than seen, with distinctive songs of simple phrases, whistled repeatedly. Superficially similar to warblers at a distance, vireos tend to sit still for longer periods of time, and generally have thicker necks and bills than warblers. There are several different ways to differentiate the common vireos of Maine.
The most common vireo in eastern North America is the Red-eyed Vireo (V. olivaceus), pictured above. They nest all over Maine in any deciduous or mixed woods, and are one of the most commonly heard birds during summer. Blue-headed Vireos (V. solitarius) are the second-most common of our vireos and also nest all over Maine, with higher concentrations farther north, usually in mixed deciduous forests. Warbling Vireos (V. gilvus) are third-most common, nest mostly in southern Maine in deciduous forests near freshwater, and are seldom encountered away from water. Philadelphia Vireos (V. philadelphicus) nest only in western and northern Maine in deciduous forests, usually birch and poplar, and elsewhere are seen only during migration, mostly in the fall.
Yellow-throated Vireos (V. flavifrons) nest only in southern Maine, usually in large areas of deciduous forest, and are the least commonly-seen vireo that nests here. The most common vagrant species, the White-eyed Vireo (V. griseus), is most frequently seen near the coast, and is generally seen in shrubbier foliage than most other vireos.
Blue-headed Vireos are the first vireo species to arrive in Maine during the third week in April, and peak by the second week of May. Warbling Vireos are next, beginning in the first week of May, and peaking by the middle of the month. From that point through the summer, Red-eyed Vireos are the most common by far, followed by Blue-headed and Warbling Vireos. In the fall, Philadelphia and Warbling Vireos peak in the second and third weeks of September, and are all but gone by the beginning of October. Red-eyed Vireos start to move through in the second half of September, and are mostly gone by the third week of October, with Blue-headed Vireos becoming the more commonly-seen species from October through the end of migration. Some Yellow-throated Vireos nest in southern Maine, but are not commonly encountered. The other rarer vireos, mainly White-eyed Vireos, are usually encountered during migration.
Blue-headed, Yellow-throated, and White-eyed Vireos all have wingbars, in addition to spectacle-like eyerings. All three are a bit stockier in shape, with more distinctive plumages than the plain-winged vireos.
The Red-eyed Vireo is one of the most common songbirds of eastern and central U.S. forests during the summer months. Like the Ovenbird and Scarlet Tanager, it is more often heard than seen. A glimpse reveals an olive-green bird with contrasting slate-gray cap, black eye-stripes framing a white eyebrow, and vivid red eyes. But its rather subdued appearance is not this vireo's most well-known characteristic.
Newly arriving females each choose a nest site within a male's territory. After mating, the female builds a cup-shaped, hanging nest between the fork of two tree branches, often concealed under hanging vegetation that provides extra security. Although not as pendulous as a Baltimore Oriole's, the vireo's pouch-like nest of grasses, roots, bark strips, and spider webs is easy to identify. Unfortunately, these beautiful nests are often found by the Brown-headed Cowbird, a brood parasite that lays its eggs in other bird's nests.
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