General

Black-capped Vireo: Small vireo with olive-green upperparts, black hood, white spectacles interrupted with black above the eye, and white underparts with olive-yellow flanks. Wings are dark with two pale bars. Iris is red-brown to red. Female and juvenile are similar but have gray caps and brown irises.

Range and Habitat

Black-capped Vireo: Breeds from Oklahoma to central Texas. Spends winters in Mexico. Preferred habitats include rangelands with scattered clumps of shrubs separated by open grasslands.

Breeding and Nesting

Black-capped Vireo: Three to five white eggs are laid in a nest made of twigs, bark, and leaves, bound with silk, lined with fine grass, and built from 1 to 15 feet above the ground in a scrub oak or other short, deciduous tree. Incubation ranges from 14 to 17 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Black-capped Vireo: Feeds on insects and insect eggs, spiders, and small fruits and berries; forages for food in deep cover among trees and thickets.

Vocalization

Black-capped Vireo: Song is a persistent, hurried series of twittering two or three note phrases "come here, right-now-quick." Call is a "ji-dit."

Similar Species

Black-capped Vireo: Blue-headed Vireo is larger, lacks red iris, and has spectacles that are broken in front of eye.