Yellow-throated Vireo Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Yellow-throated Vireos are small songbirds, but they are chunky, with a big head, thick bill, and short tail.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Black-capped Chickadee, smaller than an Eastern Wood-Pewee.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 5.1-5.9 in (13-15 cm)
    • Weight: 0.5-0.7 oz (15-21 g)
    • Wingspan: 9.1 in (23 cm)

  © Adam Capparelli / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Males and females look as if they are wearing bright yellow spectacles on their olive-green head. The throat and chest match their spectacles, but the lower belly is bright white. Two white bars mark the gray wings.

• Behavior

  Forages in middle and upper stories of forests, gleaning insects off trunks, branches, and leaves. Tends to forage in the interior parts of trees, particularly on bare branches. Moves slowly from place to place and searches for a relatively long time from one spot.
• Habitat

  Breeds in deciduous forests and is often more common near forest edges with an open understory. Winters in a range of habitats from dry tropical forest to rainforest up to 6,000 feet.