Red-eyed Vireo    Vireo olivaceus

Migratory Status: Neotropical migrant

PIF Population Estimate: 140 000 000

Percent of western hemisphere population breeding in boreal forest: 52%

BAM Effective Detection Radius (m) : 75.98

PIF Maximum Detection Distance (m) : 125

Canadian BBS Population trend: 1.2 (0.5 to 1.8)

Life History

The Red-eyed Vireo is a relatively large, rather drab bird with a blue-grey crown, contrasting with a plain, greenish back and hindneck. This species is readily distinguished from other adult vireos in the breeding range by a prominent red iris.

The Red-eyed Vireo is one of the most persistent singers in most forested regions of North America. The song typically consists of several short, quick, up-slurred and down-slurred notes repeated constantly throughout the day during the breeding season.

The species’ breeding range extends over most of the forested regions of North America, excluding the arid southwest and the extreme northwest. The winter range includes most of northern and especially north-western South America.

Reference(s)

Cimprich, D. A., F. R. Moore, and M.P. Guilfoyle. 2000. Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), The Birds of North America, No. 527. A. Poole and F. Gill, eds. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists's Union, Washington, D.C.