Black-whiskered vireo
The black-whiskered vireo (Vireo altiloquus) is a small songbird in the vireo family. It lives in Florida, the Bahamas, many Caribbean islands, and parts of northern and Amazonian South America. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. There are six subspecies that differ a little in size and color.
Description: Adults are about 15 to 16.5 cm long. The nominate subspecies has a bluish gray forehead and crown, a buff-olive tint on the crown, a pale buff eyebrow, a dark eye stripe, and the distinctive black “whisker” on the throat. The back is olive-green, the wings are dark with white tips, and the underparts are whitish with a light buff or greenish tinge. The iris is reddish-brown, the bill is black, and the legs are black.
Habitat and range: It uses many forest types and edges. In Florida it is common in coastal mangroves and hardwood hammocks and sometimes in wooded suburbs. In the Caribbean it occurs in forests from sea level to high elevations. In northern South America it tends to live on forest edges and in humid forests; in the Amazon it is found on edges and clearings. Elevation can range from near sea level to several thousand meters, depending on the place.
Behavior: It is a partial migrant. Some populations stay year-round, especially on small islands, while others migrate seasonally. They are usually seen alone or in pairs, with small families staying together briefly after fledging. Migratory birds form small flocks in winter.
Diet: It eats fruit and arthropods in roughly equal amounts. It forages mainly by gleaning from leaves while perched, sometimes hovering briefly, and it also picks from bark and twigs. It rarely catches insects in mid-air.
Breeding: The breeding season runs from late spring to midsummer, varying by region. The female builds a cup nest from grasses and plant fibers and attaches it to a forked branch with spider silk. A typical clutch has about three white eggs with brown spots. The female incubates for around 14 days; the chicks fledge about 11 days after hatching. Both parents feed the young; the female does most of the brooding. Nests are often parasitized by shiny cowbirds, and in some areas by brown-headed cowbirds. Predators can destroy nests.
Voice: Males sing during the breeding season and are usually silent on wintering grounds. Nonmigrant populations sing year-round but more in spring and summer. West Indies birds have a monotone song with short phrases; they also make various calls.
Conservation notes: The species has a very large range and about 6 million mature individuals. No major threats are known, so it remains Least Concern. It is common in Florida and the Caribbean, with varying abundance elsewhere.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:53 (CET).