Species

White-eyed vireo

Vireo griseus

A small, olive vireo with a startling white eye, which sings a snappy, varied song from dense thickets.

Photo skitterbug (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Communication

At a glance

Size: About 11 to 13 cm long
Weight: About 10 to 14 g
Habitat: Dense shrubs, thickets and woodland edges
Diet: Insects and spiders; berries in autumn and winter
In Georgia: A common summer resident; some winter in the south and on the coast
Voice: A loud, varied song, often "chick-a-per-weeoo-chick"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Olive-green above; white below with yellow sides; yellow spectacles; white eye in adults; two white wing bars
Told apart from: Yellow-throated vireo, which has a bright yellow throat and dark eye
Where to look: Dense thickets; listen for the song

Behaviour

White-eyed vireos forage slowly through dense shrubs. They sing emphatically and often include imitations of other birds.

Why they matter

White-eyed vireos eat many caterpillars and other insects in thickets. They depend on shrubby, second-growth habitat that is often cleared, and their song brings life to the tangled edges of fields and woods.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A hanging cup in the fork of a shrub
Eggs — Usually three or four
Incubation — About 13 to 15 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 9 to 11 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Brushy field edges and thickets left uncleared give them nest sites.
Brown-headed cowbirds often lay eggs in their nests.

Misconceptions

Thickets are wasted land. They are home to white-eyed vireos and many other birds.

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	A few wintering in the south	A few present	Arriving	Nesting	Nesting	Chicks	Second broods	Present	Migrants	Leaving	A few wintering	A few wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 41 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Mexico

If you found one

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