Yellow-green Vireo
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| Vireo flavoviridis (Cassin, 1851) |
The Yellow-green Vireo, Vireo flavoviridis, is a small passerine bird, It breeds from southern Texas in the United States south to central Panama. It is migratory, wintering in the western Amazon basin. Some individuals are difficult to separate from the similar Red-eyed Vireo, with which it is sometimes considered conspecific, even in the hand. Its exact status as a passage bird in countries such as Venezuela is therefore uncertain.
This vireo occurs in the canopy and middle levels of light woodland, the edges of forest, and gardens at altitudes from sea level to 1500 m. The 6.5 cm wide cup nest is built by the female from a wide range of plant materials, and attached to a stout twig normally 1.5 - 3.5 m above the ground in a tree, but occasionally up to 12 m high. The normal clutch is two or three brown-marked white eggs laid from March to June and incubated by the female alone, although the male helps to feed the chicks. The breeding birds return to Central America from early February to March, and most depart southwards by mid-October
The adult Yellow-green Vireo is 14-14.7 cm in length and weighs 18.5 g. It has olive-green upperparts and a dusky-edged grey crown. There is a dark line from the bill to the red-brown eyes, and a white supercilium. The underparts are white with yellow breast sides and flanks. Young birds are duller with brown eyes, a brown tint to the back, and less yellow on the underparts. Adult Yellow-green Vireo differs from Red-eyed Vireo in its much yellower underparts, lack of a black border to the duller grey crown, yellower upperparts and different eye colour.
Yellow-green Vireos feed on insects gleaned from tree foliage, favouring caterpillars and beetles. They also eat berries, including mistletoes.
The Yellow-green Vireo has a nasal nyaaah call and the song is a repetitive veree veer viree, fee’er vireo viree, shorter and faster than that of Red-eyed Vireo. This species rarely sings on its wintering grounds
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Vireo flavoviridis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Hilty, Birds of Venezuela ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
- Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-8014-9600-4
