Black-capped Vireo
Vireo atricapilla
Small vireo with distinctive black head and bold white spectacles surrounding a red eye. Otherwise greenish above with white underparts, yellowish sides and two yellow wingbars. Females and immatures slightly duller than adult males. Found in shrubby habitats with oak and juniper, especially on hillsides. Migrates south to Mexico for the winter. Endangered; populations especially threatened by Brown-headed Cowbird nest parasitism.
Identification
The black-capped vireo is a songbird about 12 cm (4.5 inches ) in length. Sexually mature males are olive green above and white below with faint yellow flanks. The crown and upper half of the head is black with a partial white eye ring and lores. The iris is brownish-red and the bill is black. Females are duller in color than males and have a slate-gray crown and underparts washed with greenish yellow. First-year males often have more extensive gray in the cap, similar to adult females.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Vireo atricapilla
- Authority
- Woodhouse, 1852
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Vireonidae
- Genus
- Vireo
Range and habitat
The historic breeding distribution of the black-capped vireo extended south from south-central Kansas through central Oklahoma and Texas to central Coahuila, Mexico. At present, the range extends from Oklahoma south through the Edwards Plateau and Big Bend National Park, Texas, to at least the Sierra Madera in central Coahuila, and south to southwestern Tamaulipas. In Oklahoma, the black-capped vireo is found only in Blaine, Cleveland, Cotton and Comanche Counties. It winters along the west coast of Mexico from southern Sonora to Guerrero.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
The black-capped vireo is threatened by brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) brood parasitism, human disturbance, loss of habitat to urbanization, fire exclusion, livestock grazing, and brush control. The species was listed as an Endangered Species on 6 October 1987, "due to such factors asurbanization, grazing, rangeimprovement, and succession."<p>With a declining total population size between 10,000 and 19,999, the species continues to be managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Oklahoma Department of Conservation.<p>Conservation efforts on the U.S. Army's Fort Cavazos and Fort Sill helped contribute to its delisting from the endangered species list.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Australian Boobook
Ninox boobook
Small brownish owl with dark ‘glasses’ surrounding eyes. Plumage and size varies depending on region with some subspecies exhibiting much darker plumage than others. Fairly common in a wide variety of habitats. Similar to Morepork, and range overlaps in winter in southern Victoria; Southern Boobook is larger, lighter, and has less extensive spotting. Call is a familiar ‘boo-book’ with the second note lower pitched than the first, lower and rougher-sounding than Morepork.
Sooty Oystercatcher
Haematopus fuliginosus
Heavy-set shorebird with entirely black plumage and long, thick reddish bill. It has a distinctive fleshy red or yellow eye-ring and very thick pale-pink feet and legs. Exclusively coastal, where it can be found walking around on the edge of rocky headlands, on rock shelves, and along rocky beaches on small islands. Typically found in pairs or small groups. Its call is a loud slow whistled "chew", or when agitated a rapidly repeated "squeaky toy" call.
Sunda Cuckooshrike
Coracina larvata
Chunky, dark gray bird with a dark face. Dark face patch is more extensive on males than females; males on Sumatra have entirely black heads. Inhabits moist foothill and montane forest. Moves through the upper levels of forest, often with other species in mixed flocks. Gives various high squeaky calls, including an inflected “weee-tee!”.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.