Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 5.9–6.3 in
15–16 cm - Weight
- 0.6–0.8 oz
17–22 g
Other Names
- Pias kòlèt, Oiseau canne (French)
- Vireo bigotudo, Juan chiví, Julián Chiví, Bien-te-Veo (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Black-whiskered Vireo competes for food with a number of warblers during the winter. It differs from the warblers by consuming nearly an equal amount of fruits and insects, and by foraging higher in the canopy than most of the other gleaning insectivores.
- One Black-whiskered Vireo nest found in Florida was composed of carpet fibers and duck feathers, and was suspended by nylon fishing line.
Habitat
Forest
Coastal mangroves and subtropical hardwood hammocksin Florida; coastal mangrove and sea-level forests, limestone hardwood forests, and mountain forests throughout Caribbean.
Food
Insects
Fruit and insects.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 2–4 eggs
- Egg Description
- White with a few small brown dots.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless with eyes closed.
Nest Description
Deep open cup suspended from a forked tree branch. Woven of grasses, lichens, and spider webs. Lined with palm threads, grasses, and rootlets.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Foliage Gleaner
Gleans food from foliage high in trees.
Conservation
Least Concern
Not Threatened or Endangered in any part of range. Spread of Shiny Cowbird may be having some effect on Black-whiskered Vireo populations.
Credits
- Chace, J. F., B. L. Woodworth, and A. Cruz. 2002. Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus). In The Birds of North America, No. 607 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.