Species
Philadelphia vireo
Vireo philadelphicus
A small, yellowish vireo that passes through Georgia in autumn on its way from Canada to Central America.
Photo Owen Strickland (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 12 to 14 cm long
- Weight
- About 10 to 16 g
- Habitat
- Woodland edges and treetops on migration
- Diet
- Insects and fruit
- In Georgia
- An uncommon autumn migrant, September and October
- Voice
- Similar to the red-eyed vireo's song, higher and slower
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Olive-grey above; yellow throat and breast; dark eye-line; no wing bars
- Told apart from
- Warbling vireo, which has a whiter throat and paler face
- Told apart from
- Tennessee warbler, which has a thin, pointed bill
- Where to look
- Treetops at woodland edges in autumn
Behaviour
Philadelphia vireos forage in the tree canopy, often with migrating warblers.
Why they matter
Named from a specimen collected near Philadelphia, this vireo breeds in Canada's young forests and winters in Central America. It is one of the less-known migrants that pass through Georgia.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A hanging cup in a tree fork, in Canada
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 11 to 14 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Migrating vireos strike windows; window decals help.
Misconceptions
- It lives in Philadelphia. The name comes from where the first specimen was collected on migration.
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.
| 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 | In Central America | In Central America | In Central America | Migrating north through the Mississippi valley | Nesting in Canada | Nesting | Nesting | Migrating south | Migrants in Georgia | Migrants | In Central America | In Central America |
Where it lives
Recorded in 56 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamapassing through
- Arkansaspassing through
- Connecticutpassing through
- Delawarepassing through
- District of Columbiapassing through
- Floridapassing through
- Georgiapassing through
- Illinoispassing through
- Indianapassing through
- Iowapassing through
- Kansaspassing through
- Kentuckypassing through
- Louisianapassing through
- Mainebreeding
- Marylandpassing through
- Massachusettspassing through
- Michiganpassing through
- Minnesotabreeding
- Mississippipassing through
- Missouripassing through
- Montanapassing through
- Nebraskapassing through
- New Hampshirebreeding
- New Jerseypassing through
- New Yorkpassing through
- North Carolinapassing through
- North Dakotapassing through
- Ohiopassing through
- Oklahomapassing through
- Pennsylvaniapassing through
- Rhode Islandpassing through
- South Carolinapassing through
- South Dakotapassing through
- Tennesseepassing through
- Texaspassing through
- Vermontpassing through
- Virginiapassing through
- West Virginiapassing through
- Wisconsinpassing through
Canada
If you found one
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