Philadelphia Vireo

Vireo philadelphicusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Vireos (Vireonidae)

Codes: Common Name: PHVI Scientific Name: VIRPHI ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179022

Breeding Location:

Forest

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Yes but uncommon

Egg Color:

White with brown and black speckles at large end

Number of Eggs:

3 - 5

Incubation Days:

12 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Grasses, bark, moss, lichen, and plant down., Hung by spider silk and webbing of insects.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Philadelphia Vireo: Medium-sized vireo with olive-green upperparts and yellow-washed to yellow underparts. Head has a gray cap, dark eyes, and white-bordered black eye-line. Wings are olive-green with very faint wing-bars. Undertail coverts yellow. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Philadelphia Vireo: Breeds in southern Canada and northernmost U.S. Winters in the tropics. Preferred habitats include open second-growth woodlands, old clearings, burned-over areas, and thickets along streams and lakes.

Breeding and Nesting

Philadelphia Vireo: Three to five white eggs with brown and black speckles at larger end are laid in a nest made of grass, moss, lichens, and plant down, and hung by spider silk and insect webbing. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Philadelphia Vireo: Eats mostly insects, some fruits, and berries. Forages slow and deliberately in low to mid-level vegetation, often hanging upside down to pick off insects; sometimes forages while hovering.

Vocalization

Philadelphia Vireo: Song is a high, drawn-out "cherrie-o-witt, cheree, siss-a-wit, tee-o", similar to song of Red-eyed Vireo, but thinner, higher-pitched, and slower. Call is a low, nasal "rreh."

Similar Species

Philadelphia Vireo: Tennessee Warbler has a slender, pointed bill, brighter upperparts, white undertail coverts, indistinct wing-bar, and short tail. Warbling Vireo has olive-gray upperparts and head, pale lores, and lacks wing-bars.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Philadelphia Vireo

Philadelphia Vireo: Medium vireo with olive-green upperparts and yellow-washed to yellow underparts. The head has a gray cap, dark eyes, and white-bordered black eye-line. Wings are olive-green with very faint wing-bars. Undertail coverts yellow. First discovered near Philadelphia in 1842.

● Song: "cherrie-o-witt, cheree, sissy-a-witt,tee-o", "rreh"

● Foraging & Feeding: Philadelphia Vireo: Eats mostly insects, some fruits, and berries. Forages slow and deliberately in low to mid-level vegetation, often hanging upside down to pick off insects; sometimes forages while hovering.

● Breeding & nesting: Philadelphia Vireo: Three to five white eggs with brown and black speckles at larger end are laid in a nest made of grass, moss, lichens, and plant down, and hung by spider silk and insect webbing. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Philadelphia Vireo: Tennessee Warbler has a slender, pointed bill, brighter upperparts, white undertail coverts, indistinct wing-bar, and short tail. Warbling Vireo has olive-gray upperparts and head, pale lores, and lacks wing-bars.

Flight Pattern

Relatively weak fluttering flight with rapid wing beats., Hovers briefly when foraging to pick insects off foliage, bark, or branches.

Philadelphia Vireo Fall Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Philadelphia Vireo: Breeds in southern Canada and northernmost U.S. Winters in the tropics. Preferred habitats include open second-growth woodlands, old clearings, burned-over areas, and thickets along streams and lakes.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationYes but uncommon

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.4 Ounces

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Undertail coverts

Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America