Red-eyed Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo adult

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

One of the most common birds of the Eastern forests, the Red-eyed Vireo is heard far more than it is seen. It sings continuously from the forest canopy from dawn to dusk. The vireo's song is a series of phrases interspaced with short pauses, like the song of an American Robin broken into pieces.

Description

• Small drab bird.
• Back olive-green, whiter underneath.
• Crown gray to bluegray.
• Eyebrow white with black stripe through the eye.
• Eyes dark red.

• Size: 12-13 cm (5-5 in)
• Wingspan: 23-25 cm (9-10 in)
• Weight: 12-26 g (0.42-0.92 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes alike in plumage, but males average slightly larger.

Sound

Song: a broken series of slurred notes. Each phrase usually ends in either a downslur or an upswing, as if the bird asks a question, then answers it, over and over. Call: a catbird-like "myaah."

Conservation Status

Abundant and widespread, increasing in many areas.

Other Names

Viréo aux yeux rouges (French)
Vireo ojirrojo norteño, Vireo ojo rojo (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Although animal food makes up 85 percent of its summer diet, the Red-eyed Vireo may be completely frugivorous (fruit-eating) during the winter.

• The Red-eyed Vireo is a common host to the Brown-headed Cowbird, which lays its eggs in the vireo's nest.

• Red-eyed Vireos living year-round in South America may be a separate species.

Sources used to construct this page:

Cimprich, D. A., F. R. Moore, and M. P. Guilfoyle. 2000. Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus). In The Birds of North America, No. 527 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.