Blue-headed vireo

Adults are mainly olive on the upperparts with white underparts and yellowish flanks; they have a grey head, dark eyes with white spectacles and white wing bars. They have a stout bill and thick blue-grey legs. This bird, along with the Cassin's Vireo and Plumbeous Vireo, were formerly known as the Solitary Vireo.

The Blue-headed vireo is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Blue-headed Vireo is the easterly member of the “Solitary Vireo” complex, which also includes the westerly Plumbeous and Cassin’s Vireos. Originally recognised as a separate species the Blue-headed was ‘lumped’ in the 1950s as Solitary Vireo but in 1997 it was split again when molecular genetic studies demonstrated differences among the complex. The only eastern vireo to make extensive use of coniferous forests Blue-headed Vireos breed across Canada and the northern U.S. More

The Blue-headed Vireo, Vireo solitarius, is a small songbird. Adults are mainly olive on the upperparts with white underparts and yellowish flanks; they have a grey head, dark eyes with white "spectacles" and white wing bars. They have a stout bill and thick blue-grey legs. This bird, along with the Cassin's Vireo and Plumbeous Vireo, were formerly known as the "Solitary Vireo". Their breeding habitat is open mixed deciduous and coniferous woods in Canada east of the Rockies and the northeastern United States. More

The Blue-headed Vireo has a very large range, extending to 3,300,000square kilometers. The bird is primarily found in the North America, Bahamas, Belize, Cayman Islands, El Salvador, Cuba, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Saint Pierre, Miquelon, Panama, Turks, and Caicos Islands, though it can sometimes be spotted in Jamaica. It prefers a forest ecosystem, but can live in boreal, temperate, or subtropical conditions within the forest. More

then split into the Blue-headed Vireo in the eastern United States, and the Plumbeous and Cassin's Vireos in the west. The Blue-headed Vireo forages mainly in the mid-canopy moving slowly among branches searching for insects. In Tennessee it breeds only in the highlands of the eastern part of the state where it is one of the earliest migrants to return in the spring. The breeding range of the Blue-headed Vireo extends across central Canada to the northeastern United States and southward into the Appalachian Mountains. More

The Blue-headed Vireo is a common and vocal bird of northeastern forests. Formerly lumped as a "Solitary Vireo" with the more western Plumbeous and Cassin's vireos, it is now considered a separate species. More

* Blue-headed Vireo Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding * Blue-headed Vireo Species Information - Cornell Lab of Ornithology * Blue-headed Vireo photo gallery VIREO-(with pictures of bulky cup nest) This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. More

Blue-headed Vireo, Vireo solitarius, is well named for its blue-gray head that contrasts with white “spectacles” yellow sides, white wing bars, a greenish back and white belly and throat. Adults are mainly olive on the upperparts with white underparts and yellowish flanks; they have a grey head, dark eyes with white "spectacles" and white wing bars. They have a stout bill and thick blue-grey legs. More

The blue-headed vireo is five inches long and weighs .56 ounces. Its solid gray-blue hood contrasts with its white spectacles (the combination of an eye ring and a supraloral line that contrast with the rest of the face) and throat. The hood of females and immatures is partly gray. All ages have a bright olive back, yellowish wing bars, distinct white on the outer tail, and bright yellow sides and flanks, sometimes mixed with green. More

Bent Life History for the Blue-headed Vireo - the common name and sub-species reflect the nomenclature in use at the time the description was written. BLUE-HEADED VIREO VIREO SOLITARIUS SOLITARIUS (Wilson) HABITS The yellow-throated vireo may be more brilliantly colored, with its bright yellow throat, but, to my mind, the subject of this sketch is the handsomest of the vireos. More

The Blue-headed Vireo was recently designated as a distinct species from the western Plumbeous Vireo and Cassin's Vireo. Previously, these three similar species were considered a single species referred to as the Solitary Vireo. Blue-headed Vireos in the southern Appalachians are considered a subspecies (alticola), characterized by darker backs and a larger size. In addition to these physical differences, Appalachian Blue-headed Vireos migrate primarily to the southern United States whereas other subspecies of this species overwinter in South America. More

Blue-headed vireos eat mainly insects. Range They are found in the eastern half of the United States. Other Useful Information The blue-headed vireo is the only vireo in its range that predominately uses conifer forests. Similar Species Cassin More

Blue-headed Vireo male has blue-grey hood, contrasting with white spectacles, chin and throat. These spectacles are white eye-rings, joining together by a white band above the base of the upper mandible. Back is bright olive. Dark wings show yellow-tinged wing bars and tertial feathers. Dark secondaries have greenish-yellow edges. Tail is black with fine yellowish-green edges. Underparts are white, with bright yellow sides and flanks. Vent and undertail coverts are white. More

The Blue-headed Vireo, the Plumbeous Vireo and the Cassin's Vireo were formerly considered a single species known as the Solitary Vireo. The Blue-headed Vireo is a handsome and distinctively patterned bird. It is known to most people as a fairly common migrant, usually arriving somewhat earlier in the spring than other vireos. It and the White-eyed Vireo are the only two eastern vireos that do not completely leave the United States in winter. More