How to Identify aRed-eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceus · 4.7–5.1 in (12–13 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Olive-green above, clean white below, with a gray crown, white eyebrow bordered above and below in black, and a red eye. Sexes look alike.
Female
Identical to the male in the field.
Male photo: John Benson from Madison WI / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0 · Second photo: Rhododendrites / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Field marks
- White eyebrow stripe outlined in black above and below
- Gray crown contrasting with an olive back
- Clean unmarked white underparts with no wingbars
- Thick, slightly hooked bill
Similar species
What it sounds like
Endless short whistled phrases separated by pauses, as if asking and answering questions, continuing through the hottest hours.
Behaviour that gives it away
Sings more or less continuously through the day — one individual was counted at over 20,000 songs in a single day.
Habitat & range
Deciduous forest canopy across the eastern and northern United States and Canada in summer.
When you'll see it
A summer visitor that arrives to breed in eastern, central and northern North America.
What it eats
Caterpillars and other insects gleaned from leaves, plus fruit in late summer.
Did you know?
It is among the most persistent singers in North America, delivering tens of thousands of short phrases in a single summer day.
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