Puerto Rican vireo
| Puerto Rican vireo | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Vireonidae |
| Genus: | Vireo |
| Species: | V. latimeri |
| Binomial name | |
| Vireo latimeri (Baird, 1866) | |
The Puerto Rican vireo (Vireo latimeri) is a small bird endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico and one of the 31 species belonging to the Vireo genus of the Vireonidae family. Its local name is bien-te-veo ("see-you-well", after the call), not to be confused with the unrelated great kiskadee - also known as bien-te-veo - which is found elsewhere.
The Puerto Rican vireo has a gray head, a white breast and a yellowish belly. The species measures, on average, 12 cm (4.72 in) and weighs from 11 to 12 grams (0.388–0.423 oz).
An insectivore, the species's diet consists of grasshoppers, caterpillars, cicadas, beetles and aphids and is complemented with spiders, anoles, and berries.
From 1973 until at least 1996, the species suffered a population decline in the Guánica State Forest. The primary reason for this decline was brood parasitism by the shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis).[2]
| Bird Call | |
 Click here to listen to the Puerto Rican Vireo bien-te-veo call |
See also
- Fauna of Puerto Rico
- List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico
- List of Puerto Rican birds
- List of Vieques birds
- El Toro Wilderness
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Vireo latimeri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ John Faaborg; Kate M. Dugger; Wayne J. Arendt; Bethany L. Woodworth & Michael E. Baltz (June 1997). "Population declines of the Puerto Rican Vireo in the Guánica State Forest" (pdf). Wilson Bulletin. 109 (2): 195–202. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
Further reading
- Oberle, Mark (2003). Las aves de Puerto Rico en fotografías (in Spanish). Editorial Humanitas. ISBN 0-9650104-2-2.