Vireo

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Vireos
Bell's Vireo
Bell's Vireo
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Suborder: Passeri
Family: Vireonidae
Swainson, 1837
Genera
For the record label, see Vireo Records

The vireos are a group of small to medium-sized passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are typically dull-plumaged and greenish in color, the smaller species resembling wood warblers apart from their heavier bills.

Contents

[edit] Systematics

The four genera of these birds make up the family Vireonidae, and are believed to be related to the crow-like birds in family Corvidae and the shrikes in family Laniidae. Recent biochemical studies have identified two babbler genera (Pteruthius and Erpornis) which may be Old World members of this family. Observers have commented on the vireo-like behaviour of the Pteruthius shrike-babblers, but apparently no-one suspected the biogeographically unlikely possibility of vireo relatives in Asia.

The family can be conveniently categorised by genus as the true vireos, the greenlets, the shrike-vireos and the peppershrikes.

[edit] Feeding

All members of the family eat some fruit but mostly insects and other arthropods. They take prey from leaves and branches; true vireos also flycatch, and the Gray Vireo takes 5 percent of its prey from the ground (Salaman & Barlow 2003).

[edit] Range and territorial behavior

Most species are found in Middle America and northern South America. Thirteen species of true vireos occur farther north, in the United States and Canada; of these all but Hutton's Vireo are migratory. Members of the family seldom fly long distances except in migration (Salaman & Barlow 2003).

The resident species occur in pairs or family groups that maintain territories all year (except Hutton's Vireo, which joins mixed feeding flocks). Most of the migrants defend winter territories against conspecifics. The exceptions are the complex comprising the Red-eyed Vireo, the Yellow-green Vireo, the Black-whiskered Vireo, and the Yucatan Vireo, which winter in small wandering flocks (Salaman & Barlow 2003).

[edit] Voice and breeding

The song of the Rufous-browed Peppershrike is described as a whistled phrase with the rhythm Do you wash every week? (help·info)
The song of the Rufous-browed Peppershrike is described as a whistled phrase with the rhythm Do you wash every week? (help·info)

Males of most species are persistent singers. Songs are usually rather simple, monotonous in some species of the Caribbean littoral and islands, and most elaborate and pleasant to human ears in the Chocó Vireo and the peppershrikes (Salaman & Barlow 2003).

The nests of many tropical species are unknown. Of those that are known, all build a cup-shaped nest that hangs from branches. The female does most of the incubation, spelled by the male except in the Red-eyed Vireo complex (Salaman & Barlow 2003).

[edit] Species

[edit] Possible candidates for relocation to this family

  • Genus Erpornis - see (Barker et al. 2004)
    • White-bellied Erpornis or White-bellied "Yuhina", Erpornis zantholeuca - formerly in Yuhina (Cibois et al. 2002)

[edit] References

  • Collar, N. J. & Robson, C. 2007. Family Timaliidae (Babblers) Pp. 70 - 291 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 12. Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
  • Reddy, Sushma & Cracraft, Joel (in press): Old World Shrike-babblers (Pteruthius) belong with New World Vireos (Vireonidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 28 February 2007. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.02.023 (HTML abstract)
  • Salaman, Paul & Barlow, Jon C. 2003. Vireos. Pp. 478–479 in; Perrins, C. ed. The Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds. Firefly Books, Oxford. ISBN 1-55297-777-3.

[edit] External links