Puerto Rican vireo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Puerto Rican vireo |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Vireo
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| Species: |
latimeri
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The Puerto Rican vireo (Vireo latimeri) is a small bird that lives only in the archipelago of Puerto Rico. This means it is endemic to Puerto Rico, found nowhere else in the world. It is one of 31 types of birds in the Vireo family.
People in Puerto Rico call this bird bien-te-veo. This name means "see-you-well" and comes from the sound of its call. It's important not to confuse it with another bird called the great kiskadee, which is also known as bien-te-veo but lives in different places and is not related.
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What the Puerto Rican Vireo Looks Like
The Puerto Rican vireo has a gray head. Its chest is white, and its belly is a yellowish color.
This small bird is about 12 centimeters (4.72 inches) long. That's roughly the length of a pen. It weighs between 11 and 12 grams (0.388–0.423 ounces). This is about the same weight as a few paper clips.
What the Puerto Rican Vireo Eats
The Puerto Rican vireo is an insectivore. This means it mainly eats insects. Its favorite foods include grasshoppers, caterpillars, cicadas, beetles, and aphids.
Sometimes, it also enjoys eating spiders. It might even snack on small anole lizards or berries. This varied diet helps it stay healthy.
Why the Puerto Rican Vireo Population Declined
From 1973 to at least 1996, the number of Puerto Rican vireos went down. This happened in a place called the Guánica State Forest.
The main reason for this drop was something called brood parasitism. This is when one bird lays its eggs in another bird's nest. The shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) was the bird doing this. The cowbird's chicks would hatch and often push out the vireo's own eggs or chicks. They would also compete for food, making it harder for the vireo chicks to survive.
See also
- Fauna of Puerto Rico
- List of birds of Puerto Rico
- List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico
- List of Puerto Rican birds
- List of Vieques birds
- El Toro Wilderness
- In Spanish: Vireo puertorriqueño para niños
