Warbling Vireo

The Warbling Vireo, Vireo gilvus, is a small songbird.

Adults are mainly olive-grey on the head and upperparts with white underparts; they have brown eyes and the front of the face is light. There is a white stripe just over the eyes. They have thick blue-grey legs and a stout bill. Western birds are generally smaller.

Their breeding habitat is open deciduous and mixed woods across most of North America, from Alaska to Mexico. They make a deep cup nest suspended from a tree branch or shrub, placed relatively high in the east and lower in the west. The male helps with incubation and may sing from the nest.

These birds migrate to Mexico and Central America.

They forage for insects in trees, hopping along branches and sometimes hovering. They also eat berries, especially before migration.

Their song is a cheerful warble, similar to that of the Purple Finch. There are subtle differences in song between eastern and western birds.