Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus
MORPHOLOGY:
- Males and Females: There is a white lower eyebrow and a black upper eyebrow above it. The eye is red, with a black eye stripe and lore. The ventral side is white and the dorsal side is olive-green.
- Immatures: Like the adult except for that the eye is brown and the tail feathers are tapered.
FOOD: Insects, fruits, and berries.
MATING SYSTEM: monogamous.
BREEDING SYSTEM:
- Where Breeds: Breeds in deciduous woodlands with dense undergrowth (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997).
- Nest: The nest is suspended in a horizontal fork of a shrub or a low tree branch 5-10 ft. high (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997). The nest is a pensile, rounded cup that is bound to twigs at the rim, and is made out of vine-bark strips, thin grasses, rootlets, and birchbark (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997). The nest is bound together with spiders’ or caterpillar webs and is sometimes ornamented on the outside with lichen (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997). The nest is built by the female in 5 days (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997).
- Breeding Season: The breeding season begins n mid-May in the south of the range and in mid-June in the north of its range (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997). Occasionally this species will have two broods (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997).
- Eggs: There are between 3 and 5 eggs laid in a clutch (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997). The eggs are subelliptical to long subelliptical or oval in shape and white in background color (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997). The eggs are speckled reddish-brown, brown, or black and this is concentrated at the larger end (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997). The average size of an egg is 20 X 14 mm (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997).
- Incubation: The incubation period lasts between 11 and 14 days and is done by both sexes (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997).
- Nestling: The young are born altricial, with the down being a pale gray color (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997). The skin is a yellowish-flesh color, the mouth is pale yellow, and the gape flanges are pale cream (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997). The young fledge after 12 days and are tended by both parents (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997). The eyes of the nestling open 4 to 5 days after hatching (Baicicich and Harrison, 1997).
MIGRATION STATUS IN WISCONSIN:
The red-eyed vireo is a neotropical migrant.
REFERENCES:
Baicicich, P.J. and Harrison, C.J.O. 1997. A Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds, 2nd edition. Academic Press: San Diego.
Stokes, D.W. and Stokes, L.Q. 1996. Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region. Little, Brown and Co.: Boston.
Last Updated: March 27, 2005
[Birds of Vilas County]
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