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Bell's Vireo

Vireo bellii ORDER: PASSERIFORMES FAMILY: VIREONIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Near Threatened

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A small insectivorous bird of the central and southwestern United States and northern Mexico, the Bell's Vireo is drably colored and indistinctly marked. Its distinctive song can be heard coming from the dense vegetation of scrubby woodlands, old fields, or mesquite brushlands.

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Appearance

Warblerlike
Warblerlike
Typical Voice

Adult Description

  • Small songbird.
  • Drab gray to greenish above.
  • White to yellow below.
  • One prominent wingbar and a more faint one above it.
  • Faint white eyering.

Immature Description

Juvenile similar to adult, but whiter below and with more distinct wingbars.

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Field MarksHelp

  • Adult
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    Bell's Vireo

    Adult
    • © 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Concan, Texas, May 2000

Similar Species

  • White-eyed Vireo very similar, but is more olive and yellow, has white eyes in the adult, more distinct wingbars, and bright yellow spectacles.
  • Hutton's Vireo has broad wingbars, a shorter tail, and a dull gray throat and breast.
  • Gray Vireo has longer tail, even more obscure single wingbar, lacks any trace of olive-green or yellow, and continuously raises and flips its tail.