Warbling Vireo
Vireo gilvus
Rather nondescript vireo with a blank face. Pale grayish-olive overall with a faint white eyebrow, darker grayish crown, and pale yellowish wash on the sides. Often confused with Philadelphia Vireo; note Warbling shows brightest color on sides (not throat) and fainter dark eyeline (especially indistinct in front of the eye). Warbling is also longer-tailed and has a slightly longer, thinner bill than Philadelphia. Scratchy warbling song is heard from treetops, particularly in riparian areas and cottonwoods. Migrants and wintering birds can be found in any wooded habitat, as far south as Central America.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Vireo gilvus
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1808)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Vireonidae
- Genus
- Vireo
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Glittering-bellied Emerald
Chlorostilbon lucidus
Small green hummingbird found in a variety of open and semiopen habitats, such as forest edges, deserts, savannas, and gardens. Visits feeders. Iridescent green body with a forked dark blue tail and dark wings. Males have a black-tipped red bill with a blue throat, while females have a white belly, black mask, and a black bill with a red base.
Black-throated Hermit
Phaethornis atrimentalis
Small hummingbird with a long white-tipped tail. Its rufous underparts, green back, and striped face are features typical of many hermits, but the dark throat and white vent help separate it from other similar species. Inhabits rainforest understory in lowlands east of the Andes and in adjacent foothills. It is difficult to see well as it zips between flowers in the gloom. Sometimes gives a high-pitched, squeaky song from a low perch.
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Stocky and large-headed with a shaggy crest. Bill is long, straight, thick, and pointed. Powder blue above with white underparts and blue breast band. Females have additional rusty band across belly. Almost always solitary, perched along edges of streams, lakes, and estuaries. Flies along rivers and shorelines giving loud rattling calls. Hunts for fish by plunging headfirst into the water, either directly from a perch or hovering.
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