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Vireo (genus)
Encyclopedia
Vireo are a genus of small passerine
bird
s restricted to the New World
. They typically have dull greenish plumage
(hence the name, from Latin virere, "to be green"), but some are brown or gray on the back and some have bright yellow underparts. They resemble wood warblers
apart from their slightly larger size and heavier bills, which in most species have a very small hook at the tip. The legs are stout.
Species fall into two plumage groups: one with wing-bars and yellow or white eye-rings, and one with unmarked wings and eye-stripes, except that the Chocó Vireo
has wing-bars and eye-stripes.
Sexes are alike except that the male Black-capped Vireo
's crown is black and the female's is gray.
s and other arthropod
s. A common pattern is arthropods in summer and fruit in winter. Vireos take prey
from leaves and branches and in midair
, and the Gray Vireo
takes 5 percent of its prey from the ground.
and northern South America
. Thirteen species occur farther north, in the United States
and Canada
; of these, all but Hutton's Vireo
are migratory
. Vireos seldom fly long distances except in migration.
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.
littoral and islands, to elaborate and pleasant to human ears in the Chocó Vireo. Calls often include "scolding chatters and mews".
The species whose nests are known all build a cup-shaped nest that hangs from branches. Its outer layer is made of coarse leaf and bark strips or of moss, depending on the species; in either case the material is bound with spider silk
and ornamented with spider
egg cases. The lining is made of fine grass stems neatly circling the cup. In most species both sexes work on the nest, but the female adds the lining. In the Red-eyed, Black-whiskered, Yucatan, and Philadelphia Vireo
s the male does not help, instead singing and accompanying the female while she builds the nest. The female does most of the incubation
, spelled by the male except in the Red-eyed Vireo complex.
The eggs are whitish; all but the Black-capped and Dwarf Vireo
s have sparse, fine brown or red-brown spots at the wide end. Tropical species lay two, while temperate-zone species lay four or five. Incubation lasts 11 to 13 days, and the young fledge
after the same amount of time. Both sexes feed the nestlings arthropods, and each fledgeling is fed by one parent or the other (not both) for as long as 20 days.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s restricted to the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. They typically have dull greenish plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
(hence the name, from Latin virere, "to be green"), but some are brown or gray on the back and some have bright yellow underparts. They resemble wood warblers
New World warbler
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are not related to the Old World warblers or the Australian warblers....
apart from their slightly larger size and heavier bills, which in most species have a very small hook at the tip. The legs are stout.
Species fall into two plumage groups: one with wing-bars and yellow or white eye-rings, and one with unmarked wings and eye-stripes, except that the Chocó Vireo
Chocó Vireo
The Chocó Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family. It is found in western Colombia and has recently been found in north-west Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.The species was not described until 1996...
has wing-bars and eye-stripes.
Sexes are alike except that the male Black-capped Vireo
Black-capped Vireo
The Black-capped Vireo, Vireo atricapilla, is a small bird native to the United States and Mexico. It has been listed as an endangered species in the United States since 1987. The IUCN lists the species as vulnerable....
's crown is black and the female's is gray.
Feeding
All members of the genus eat some fruit but mostly insectInsect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and other arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s. A common pattern is arthropods in summer and fruit in winter. Vireos take prey
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
from leaves and branches and in midair
Hawking (birds)
Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch...
, and the Gray Vireo
Gray Vireo
The Gray Vireo is a small North American passerine bird. It breeds from the southwestern United States and northern Baja California to western Texas...
takes 5 percent of its prey from the ground.
Range and territorial behavior
Most species are found in Central AmericaCentral America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and northern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Thirteen species occur farther north, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; of these, all but Hutton's Vireo
Hutton's Vireo
Hutton's Vireo is a small songbird. It is approximately 5 inches in length, dull olive-gray above and below. It has a faint white eye ring and faint white wing bars. It closely resembles a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but has a thicker bill and is slightly larger in size. Its most common song is a...
are migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
. Vireos seldom fly long distances except in migration.
The resident species occur in pairs or family groups that maintain territories all year (except Hutton's Vireo, which joins mixed feeding flocks
Mixed-species feeding flock
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species, that join each other and move together while foraging...
). Most of the migrants defend winter territories against conspecifics. The exceptions are the complex comprising the Red-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
The Red-eyed Vireo, Vireo olivaceus, is a small American songbird, 13–14 cm in length. It is somewhat warbler-like but not closely related to the New World warblers...
, the Yellow-green Vireo
Yellow-green Vireo
The Yellow-green Vireo, Vireo flavoviridis, is a small passerine bird. It breeds from southern Texas in the United States and the western and eastern mountain ranges of northern Mexico south to central Panama...
, the Black-whiskered Vireo
Black-whiskered Vireo
The Black-whiskered Vireo, Vireo altiloquus, is a small passerine bird, which breeds in southern Florida, USA, and the West Indies as far south as the offshore islands of Venezuela. It is a partial migrant, with northern birds wintering from the Greater Antilles to northern South America...
, and the Yucatan Vireo
Yucatan Vireo
The Yucatan Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family.It is found in Belize, Honduras and Mexico. There is a well-documented record from High Island, Texas, in 1984, but this is the only record for the United States....
, which winter in small wandering flocks.
Voice and breeding
Males of most species are persistent singers. Songs are usually rather simple, ranging from monotonous, in some species of the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
littoral and islands, to elaborate and pleasant to human ears in the Chocó Vireo. Calls often include "scolding chatters and mews".
Spider silk
Spider silk is a protein fiber spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make webs or other structures, which function as nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons for protection for their offspring...
and ornamented with spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
egg cases. The lining is made of fine grass stems neatly circling the cup. In most species both sexes work on the nest, but the female adds the lining. In the Red-eyed, Black-whiskered, Yucatan, and Philadelphia Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
The Philadelphia Vireo, Vireo philadelphicus, is a small songbird.Adults are mainly olive-brown on the upperparts with yellow underparts; they have dark eyes and a grey crown. There is a dark line through the eyes and a white stripe just over them. They have thick blue-grey legs and a stout...
s the male does not help, instead singing and accompanying the female while she builds the nest. The female does most of the incubation
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
, spelled by the male except in the Red-eyed Vireo complex.
The eggs are whitish; all but the Black-capped and Dwarf Vireo
Dwarf Vireo
The Dwarf Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family.It is endemic to Mexico.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.-References:...
s have sparse, fine brown or red-brown spots at the wide end. Tropical species lay two, while temperate-zone species lay four or five. Incubation lasts 11 to 13 days, and the young fledge
Fledge
Fledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of a chick's parents raising it to a fully grown state...
after the same amount of time. Both sexes feed the nestlings arthropods, and each fledgeling is fed by one parent or the other (not both) for as long as 20 days.
Species
- Black-whiskered VireoBlack-whiskered VireoThe Black-whiskered Vireo, Vireo altiloquus, is a small passerine bird, which breeds in southern Florida, USA, and the West Indies as far south as the offshore islands of Venezuela. It is a partial migrant, with northern birds wintering from the Greater Antilles to northern South America...
, Vireo altiloquus - Black-capped VireoBlack-capped VireoThe Black-capped Vireo, Vireo atricapilla, is a small bird native to the United States and Mexico. It has been listed as an endangered species in the United States since 1987. The IUCN lists the species as vulnerable....
, Vireo atricapillus - Cozumel VireoCozumel VireoThe Cozumel Vireo is a species of bird in the family Vireonidae.It is endemic to the Mexican island of Cozumel off the Yucatán Peninsula.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and heavily degraded former forest....
, Vireo bairdi - Bell's VireoBell's VireoThe Bell's Vireo is a small North American songbird. It is 4-3/4 to 5 inches in length, dull olive-gray above and whitish below...
, Vireo bellii - Slaty VireoSlaty VireoThe Slaty Vireo, Vireo brevipennis is an odd vireo endemic to shrubby highlands of southern Mexico.It differs from all other vireos in its predominantly slate gray plumage and long tail. These distinctions once afforded it its own genus, Neochloe. It also has green feather edgings on its wings and...
, Vireo brevipennis - St. Andrew VireoSt. Andrew VireoThe San Andres Vireo or St. Andrew Vireo is a threatened species of vireo endemic to the Colombian island of St. Andrew in the Caribbean Sea, located off the east coast of Nicaragua...
, Vireo caribaeus - Yellow-winged VireoYellow-winged VireoThe Yellow-winged Vireo, Vireo carmioli, is a small passerine bird. It is endemic to the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama.This vireo occurs from 2000 m to the timberline in the canopy of mountain forest, sometimes feeding in undergrowth or tall second growth...
, Vireo carmioli - Cassin's VireoCassin's VireoCassin's Vireo is a small North American songbird, ranging from southern British Columbia in Canada through the western coastal states of the United States. This bird migrates, spending the winter from southern Arizona to southern Mexico.The vireo is 11–14 cm in length, with a gray head, back,...
, Vireo cassinii - Thick-billed VireoThick-billed VireoThe Thick-billed Vireo, Vireo crassirostris, is a small songbird. It breeds in the West Indies in the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands, Tortuga Island in Haiti and on cays off the coast of Cuba. It occasionally can be found as a vagrant to south Florida in the United States. The...
, Vireo crassirostris - Yellow-throated VireoYellow-throated VireoThe Yellow-throated Vireo, Vireo flavifrons, is a small American songbird.Adults are mainly olive on the head and upperparts with a yellow throat and white belly; they have dark eyes with yellow "spectacles". The tail and wings are dark with white wing bars...
, Vireo flavifrons - Yellow-green VireoYellow-green VireoThe Yellow-green Vireo, Vireo flavoviridis, is a small passerine bird. It breeds from southern Texas in the United States and the western and eastern mountain ranges of northern Mexico south to central Panama...
, Vireo flavoviridis - Warbling VireoWarbling VireoThe Warbling Vireo, Vireo gilvus, is a small North American songbird.Its breeding habitat is open deciduous and mixed woods from Alaska to Mexico and the Florida Panhandle. It often nests along streams. It migrates to Mexico and Central America....
, Vireo gilvus - Noronha VireoNoronha VireoThe Noronha Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family. It is endemic to the island of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil. It is found in woodland, shrubland and gardens. It resembles the Chivi Vireo, but its plumage is significantly duller and the bill longer.-References:* BirdLife...
, Vireo gracilirostris - White-eyed VireoWhite-eyed VireoThe White-eyed Vireo, Vireo griseus, is a small songbird. It breeds in the southeastern USA from New Jersey west to northern Missouri and south to Texas and Florida, and also in eastern Mexico, northern Central America, Cuba and the Bahamas....
, Vireo griseus - Cuban VireoCuban VireoThe Cuban Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family that is endemic to Cuba. Its natural habitats are dry forests, lowland moist forests, xeric shrublands, and heavily degraded former forest.-References:...
, Vireo gundlachii - Hutton's VireoHutton's VireoHutton's Vireo is a small songbird. It is approximately 5 inches in length, dull olive-gray above and below. It has a faint white eye ring and faint white wing bars. It closely resembles a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but has a thicker bill and is slightly larger in size. Its most common song is a...
, Vireo huttoni - Golden VireoGolden VireoThe Golden Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family.It is endemic to Mexico.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Vireo hypochryseus - Puerto Rican VireoPuerto Rican VireoThe Puerto Rican Vireo is a small true vireo endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico and one of the 31 species belonging to the Vireo genus of the Vireonidae family...
, Vireo latimeri - Brown-capped VireoBrown-capped VireoThe Brown-capped Vireo, Vireo leucophrys, is a small passerine bird. It breeds in highlands from southern Mexico south to northwestern Bolivia. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the similar Warbling Vireo....
, Vireo leucophrys - Yucatan VireoYucatan VireoThe Yucatan Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family.It is found in Belize, Honduras and Mexico. There is a well-documented record from High Island, Texas, in 1984, but this is the only record for the United States....
, Vireo magister - Choco VireoChocó VireoThe Chocó Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family. It is found in western Colombia and has recently been found in north-west Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.The species was not described until 1996...
, Vireo masteri - Jamaican VireoJamaican VireoThe Jamaican Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family. It is endemic to Jamaica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.-References:*...
, Vireo modestus - Flat-billed VireoFlat-billed VireoThe Flat-billed Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family.It is found in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:...
, Vireo nanus - Dwarf VireoDwarf VireoThe Dwarf Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family.It is endemic to Mexico.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.-References:...
, Vireo nelsoni - Red-eyed VireoRed-eyed VireoThe Red-eyed Vireo, Vireo olivaceus, is a small American songbird, 13–14 cm in length. It is somewhat warbler-like but not closely related to the New World warblers...
, Vireo olivaceus - Blue Mountain VireoBlue Mountain VireoThe Blue Mountain Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family. It is endemic to Jamaica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, plantations, and heavily degraded former forest. It is threatened by habitat...
, Vireo osburni - Mangrove VireoMangrove VireoThe Mangrove Vireo is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family.It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
, Vireo pallens - Philadelphia VireoPhiladelphia VireoThe Philadelphia Vireo, Vireo philadelphicus, is a small songbird.Adults are mainly olive-brown on the upperparts with yellow underparts; they have dark eyes and a grey crown. There is a dark line through the eyes and a white stripe just over them. They have thick blue-grey legs and a stout...
, Vireo philadelphicus - Plumbeous VireoPlumbeous VireoThe Plumbeous Vireo is a small North American songbird, ranging from far southeastern Montana and western South Dakota south to the Pacific coast of Mexico, including the extreme southern regions of Baja California Sur...
, Vireo plumbeus - Blue-headed VireoBlue-headed VireoThe Blue-headed Vireo is a Neotropical migrating song bird found in North and Central America. There are currently two recognized sub-species that belong to the Blue-headed Vireo. It has a range that extends across Canada and the eastern coast of the United-States, Mexico and some of Central America...
, Vireo solitarius - Gray VireoGray VireoThe Gray Vireo is a small North American passerine bird. It breeds from the southwestern United States and northern Baja California to western Texas...
, Vireo vicinior