Species

Blue-headed vireo

Vireo solitarius

A blue-grey-headed vireo with bold white spectacles, nesting in the mountains and wintering across Georgia.

Photo Carol Ann Vermeer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 13 to 15 cm long
Weight: About 13 to 19 g
Habitat: Mixed and coniferous woods; any woods in winter
Diet: Insects and spiders; some fruit
In Georgia: Breeds in the mountains; a common winter visitor elsewhere
Voice: A slow, sweet series of phrases
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Blue-grey head; bold white spectacles; white throat; yellow-washed sides; two white wing bars
Told apart from: Yellow-throated vireo, which has a yellow throat
Where to look: Mixed woods, winter flocks with chickadees

Behaviour

Blue-headed vireos forage slowly and deliberately through branches. In winter they join mixed flocks of chickadees and titmice.

Why they matter

Blue-headed vireos are one of the few vireos that winter in Georgia. They eat many caterpillars and other insects in winter woods.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A hanging cup in a tree fork
Eggs — Usually three to five
Incubation — About 12 to 14 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 12 to 14 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Mixed woods with conifers support them in winter.

Misconceptions

Vireos are all summer birds. The blue-headed vireo winters in Georgia.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wintering	Wintering	Leaving the lowlands	Nesting in the mountains	Nesting	Chicks	Young fledging	Present in the mountains	Migrants	Arriving in the lowlands	Wintering	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 64 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

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