Plumbeous Vireo Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesPlumbeous Vireo
Adult
Small songbird with thick bill, large head, and short neck. Upperparts grayish overall with little to no contrast between head and back. Note bold white "spectacles."
© William Higgins / Macaulay LibraryArizona, January 17, 2017Adult
Small songbird with thick bill and slow, deliberate foraging style. Fairly uniform grayish upperparts with white underparts; flanks sometimes washed with grayish or yellowish. Two white wingbars.
© Nicole Desnoyers / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 18, 2018Adult (Central American)
Like other vireos, bill is thicker than a warbler's with a slight hook at the tip. Uniform grayish above with white "spectacles" and wingbars; white below.
© John van Dort / Macaulay LibraryCholuteca, October 28, 2019Adult
Typically forages in small twigs with slow and deliberate pace.
© Zak Pohlen / Macaulay LibraryOregon, August 05, 2017Adult
Typically breeds in mountain forests above 3,500 feet elevation, particularly in ponderosa pine and pinyon-juniper. Also uses woodlands along streams including cottonwoods, box elder, and willows, as well as pine-oak forests and oak scrub.
© Jared Peck / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, May 27, 2017Similar SpeciesCassin's Vireo
Adult
Cassin's Vireos usually have greener backs than the all-gray Plumbeous Vireo, and Cassin's often has yellowish flanks. Cassin's and Plumbeous overlap mainly on their wintering grounds.
© Chuck Coxe / Macaulay LibraryNevada, June 03, 2017Similar SpeciesGray Vireo
Adult
Gray Vireos have longer tails than Plumbeous Vireos and live in more open habitats. Gray has duller wingbars and has a thin eyering but not the bold "spectacles" of Plumbeous.
© Ryan Shaw / Macaulay LibraryArizona, August 29, 2015Similar SpeciesBlue-headed Vireo
Adult
Blue-headed Vireos are more brightly colored than Plumbeous Vireos, with green backs and yellow-washed flanks. The two species do not overlap in range.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryMississippi, December 25, 2009Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
Species in This Family
Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Vireonidae)
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