What's that bird singing constantly in the understory? It could be a white-eyed vireo! Learn where to find these talkative, colorful birds.
What Does a White-Eyed Vireo Look Like?
Spotting a white-eyed vireo might take some persistence, considering the bird spends much of its time out of sight (but singing loudly). If you do manage to glimpse a sparrow-sized bird hopping through a shrubby understory, look for a gray head and an olive-yellow back. Yellow plumage appears near the eyes, which are — as the bird’s name implies — a stunning shade of white. Sides also feature yellow coloring, while the throat and chest appear white.
Learn how to identify a red-eyed vireo.
Range and Habitat
White-eyed vireos spend summer throughout much of the eastern half of the United States. Their permanent range in the country extends along the Gulf Coast and a few Atlantic states, while their breeding-season range includes much of the Midwest and Southeast.
As for where to locate this bird within its range, look at brush, brambles, shrubs, streamside thickets, and in forest understory. It tends to move in hops and brief flights, which can make focusing binoculars tricky.
Diet: What Do White-Eyed Vireos Eat?
Following the trend of other vireos’ eating habits during breeding season, white-eyed vireos eat bugs. They’ll catch caterpillars, moths, spiders, butterflies, wasps, and moths. Look for their trademark method of foraging: they hop in the brush and pause briefly as they search for their next meal.
Nesting Habits
White-eyed vireos nest in shrubs, up to 6 feet off the ground. The male and female both take part in nest construction, which includes materials such as spiderwebs, moss, leaves, and fine grass. A typical clutch size includes three to five eggs, and the female has one to two broods per season. She incubates the eggs for about two weeks, and approximately two weeks later, young birds leave the nest.
White-Eyed Vireo Song
Because white-eyed vireos can be difficult to spot but males sing constantly, it’s often easiest to identify this vireo by song. Listen for a chain of warbling, chip-type notes, which usually repeat before switching to a different series. Some have described its song as chip-a-wheoo-chip.
Bird sounds courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Sources
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “White-eyed Vireo: Life History“
- National Audubon Society, “Field Guide: White-eyed Vireo“
