White-eyed Vireo

Hey guys, welcome back! Today is our latest vireo species! The white-eyed vireo is one of the less common of the eastern vireos. They’re cool looking little birds. They have a gray head, yellow mask and belly, and green back. And of course, white eyes. The white-eyed vireo breeds in the eastern part of the US, from about Cleveland south.

To date, I’ve only seen one. It was a late afternoon during spring migration while working in Central Park. It was in the Ravine, in the north end of the park. I spotted it just before I got off work. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera at the time. I tried chasing down two this past year. One was a rare over-wintering bird, and the other was spotted during peak migration. Alas, I came up empty both times!

Interestingly, both sexes of the white-eyed vireo sing on their wintering grounds, but only the male sings on the breeding ground. Vireos in general are known for their vocals, nearly constantly singing. Another interesting fact: they’re the only vireo species whose fossils have been found in North America with the discovery of a 400,000 year old wing bone. Next up we have a wading bird that I only got a slight look at. Clapper rail up next. See you then!