Bird GuideVireosThick-billed Vireo

Thick-billed Vireo

Thick-billed Vireo
Vireo crassirostris
At a Glance Range & Identification Back to Top

At a Glance

A close relative of the White-eyed Vireo, replacing that species in the Bahamas and on other islands north and south of Cuba. It has wandered to southeastern Florida at least 20 times, mostly in spring or fall, along the southeastern coast and on the Keys. A bird of scrubby thickets like the White-eyed, it is often difficult to see well.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Perching Birds
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Forests and Woodlands, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets
Behavior
Flitter

Range & Identification

Description

5 1/2" (14 cm). A rare stray to Florida. Very similar to White-eyed Vireo (which is very common in Florida) but slightly larger. It has dark eyes, but so does young White-eyed Vireo. Differs from White-eyed in dull olive nape, instead of gray; drab, dingy underparts; incomplete eye-ring, broken above the eye; slightly thicker, paler bill.
Size
About the size of a Sparrow
Color
Gray, Olive, White, Yellow
Wing Shape
Rounded, Short
Tail Shape
Notched, Square-tipped

Songs and Calls

Song: a jumbled chatter similar to that of White-eyed Vireo, but slower and rougher. Call: slow, drawn-out scolding notes.
Call Type
Chatter, Harsh, Warble