Blue-headed Vireo Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBlue-headed Vireo
Adult
Small, chunky songbird with thick bill. Blue-gray head contrasts with olive-green back and with bold white "spectacles." Breast and belly are clean white with yellow flanks.
© Ronnie d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, November 04, 2018Adult
Like most vireos, head is large, neck is short, and bill is thick with a slight hook at the tip. Bold white "spectacles" on rich gray head; two whitish wingbars.
© Russ Smith / Macaulay LibraryIllinois, November 08, 2020Adult
Both sexes help build the nest, which is suspended in a horizontal fork, fairly low in the outer slender branches of trees or shrubs.
© DAVID BROWN / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 01, 2005Not all videos have sound
Adult
Small songbird with large head and thick bill. Blue-gray head and bold white spectacles contrast with olive-green back. Two whitish wingbars.
© Josh Houck / Macaulay LibraryPennsylvania, October 25, 2019Adult
Small, chunky songbird with thick bill. Blue-gray head with bold white "spectacles." Some individuals are gray on the upper back, grading to olive-green on the lower back.
© Ian Burgess / Macaulay LibraryOntario, May 03, 2017Habitat
Breeding habitat is mature forest, where they tend to forage high among small branches and leaves. In eastern North America uses deciduous or hardwood forests; in northwestern range more often found among conifers.
© Simon Boivin / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, May 14, 2017Similar SpeciesBell's Vireo
Adult (Eastern)
Bell's Vireos have a faint and thin dark line through the eye and a partial eyering, but they lack the strong white "spectacles" of Blue-headed Vireo. They occur in dense shrubby habitats, whereas Blue-headed Vireos live in mature forest canopies.
© Samuel Paul Galick / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, December 03, 2011Similar SpeciesCassin's Vireo
Adult
Cassin's Vireo has less contrast between the gray head and greenish back than Blue-headed Vireo, and less yellowish on the flanks. The two species have little overlap in range.
© Chuck Coxe / Macaulay LibraryNevada, June 03, 2017Similar SpeciesPlumbeous Vireo
Adult
Plumbeous Vireo lacks the rich greenish back and yellow-washed flanks of Blue-headed Vireo. The two species do not overlap in range.
© William Higgins / Macaulay LibraryArizona, January 17, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
Species in This Family
Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Vireonidae)
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.