Blue-headed Vireo
From WikiBird
Contents |
Size
Length: ??cm (??in), Wingspan: ??cm (??in)
Field Marks
Adult: Mainly olive on the upperparts with white underparts and yellowish flanks. Gray head, dark eyes with white "spectacles" and white wing bars. Stout bill with hooked upper mandible and thick blue-grey legs. Sexes similar. Juvenile: Similar to adults. This bird, along with the Cassin's Vireo and Plumbeous Vireo, were formerly known as the Solitary Vireo.
Similar species
The bold white spectacles are a good field mark. Black-capped Vireo also has white spectacles but it has a black, not gray, head. Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireos have yellow spectacles. Plumbeous and Cassin's Vireos are duller without bright yellow flanks and have less contrast between the head and back. The Gray Vireo lacks spectacles and has faint wing bars.
Sounds
Feeding & Behavior
They forage for insects in the upper parts of trees, sometimes flying out to catch them. They also eat some berries, especially in winter.
Habitat & Nesting
Breeding habitat is open mixed deciduous and coniferous woods. They make a bulky cup nest suspended from a fork in tree branch. The male helps with incubation and may sing from the nest.
Range
Breed in Canada east of the Rockies and the northeastern United States. Migrate to the southern United States south to Central America.
Resources
