Warbling vireo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Warbling vireo |
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| Conservation status | |
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Vireo
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| Species: |
gilvus
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The warbling vireo (Vireo gilvus) is a small North American songbird. It's famous for its cheerful song. These birds live in open deciduous and mixed forests from Alaska all the way to Mexico. They often build their nests near streams. When winter comes, they fly south to warmer places like Mexico and Central America.
Contents
How Big Are They?
Warbling vireos are small birds.
- Length: About 4.7 to 5.1 inches (12-13 cm) long. That's about the length of a pen!
- Weight: They weigh around 0.3 to 0.6 ounces (10-16 grams). That's lighter than a few quarters.
- Wingspan: Their wings can spread about 8.7 inches (22 cm) wide.
What Do They Look Like?
Warbling vireos have olive-grey feathers on their heads and backs. Their bellies are white. They have brown eyes and a light-colored face. You might notice a white stripe above their eyes, called a supercilium. They have strong blue-grey legs and a thick beak. Birds living in the western parts of their range are usually a bit smaller and have darker grey heads.
What Do They Eat?
Warbling vireos mostly eat insects. They look for food in trees, hopping along branches. Sometimes, they even hover in the air to catch a bug! They also enjoy eating berries, especially before they migrate for the winter. In their winter homes, they really like the seeds from a tree called gumbo-limbo.
Nesting and Reproduction
These birds build a deep, cup-shaped nest. They hang it from a tree branch or a bush. In the eastern parts of their range, nests are usually higher up. In the west, they build them a bit lower. Both the male and female birds help to take care of the eggs. The male bird might even sing while sitting on the nest!
Their Cheerful Song
The warbling vireo's song is a happy, warbling sound. It's a bit like the song of the painted bunting. There are small differences in the songs between birds from the eastern and western parts of their range.
Eastern and Western Types
Some scientists think that the eastern and western warbling vireos are actually two different species.
- The western warbling vireo lives in places like southeastern Alaska, the Northwest Territories, and down to Baja California in Mexico. These birds spend their winters in Mexico.
- The eastern warbling vireo lives from central Alberta and northern Montana across most of the United States and parts of southern Canada. They spend their winters south of Mexico, in places like Chiapas and Nicaragua.
Images for kids
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Vireo singing in the Ruby Mountains, Nevada
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On its nest in the Ruby Mountains, Nevada
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Perched in Illinois
See also
In Spanish: Vireo gorjeador para niños
