Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 5.1–5.9 in
13–15 cm - Wingspan
- 7.9–9.4 in
20–24 cm - Weight
- 0.5–0.7 oz
13–19 g
Other Names
- Solitary Vireo (eastern form)
- Viréo á tête bleue (French)
- Vireo anteojillo (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Blue-headed Vireo is the easternmost form in the "Solitary Vireo" complex. Formerly considered one species, three species now are recognized. In appearance it is the most brightly colored of the three.
- The Blue-headed Vireo is the only vireo within its range that makes extensive use of coniferous forests, although it also occupies deciduous habitats.
Habitat
Forest
Cool forests.
Food
Insects
Medium to large insects, some fruit in winter.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 3–5 eggs
- Egg Description
- Color: Creamy white with sparse dark spots around larger end.
Size: 17-23.1 mm x 13.3-15.8 mm
(0.7-0.9 in x 0.5-0.6 in)
Incubation period: 13-15 days. - Condition at Hatching
- Helpless with tufts of down.
Chicks fledge in 13-14 days.
Nest Description
Open cup suspended by rim from a fork of a branch of a tree or sapling. Woven of spider web, bark strips, grasses, dead leaves, moss, and hair, decorated with spider egg cases and birch bark. Inner lining of grasses, rootlets, and conifer twigs or needles.
Nest Placement
Tree
© 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
© 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Behavior
Foliage Gleaner
Forages in middle levels of forest. Gleans insects from outer twigs and foliage. Forages in slow and deliberate manner.
Conservation
Least Concern
Populations increasing slightly.
Credits
- James, R. D. 1998. Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius). In The Birds of North America, No. 379 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.