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Vireo solitarius

(Wilson, 1810)

Blue-headed Vireo

G5Secure Found in 80 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104986
Element CodeABPBW01160
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyVireonidae
GenusVireo
Other Common Names
Solitary Vireo (EN) solitary vireo (EN) Vireo Anteojillo (ES) Viréo à tête bleue (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Formerly known as Solitary Vireo. Sibley and Monroe (1990) cited information from Johnson and Barlow and split V. solitarius into three separate species, V. cassinii (Cassin's Vireo), V. plumbeus (Plumbeous Vireo), and V. solitarius (Solitary Vireo). Johnson (1995) examined allozyme variation in western U.S. vireos of the V. solitarius complex and concluded that V. plumbeus is a distinct species. Johnson stated that Cassin's Vireo (V. cassinii) and Blue-headed Vireo (V. s. solitarius plus the "mountain vireo" V. s. alticola) also may deserve species status (based on differences in voice and mtDNA base sequences). These conclusions adopted by AOU (1997) which split V. solitarius into three species, which together constitute a superspecies (AOU 1998). See Johnson et al. (1988) and Murray et al. (1994) for analyses of the phylogenetic relationships among vireos.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-10
Change Date1996-12-03
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
BREEDING: northeastern British Columbia, southwestern Mackenzie, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and central and southern Manitoba east across southern Canada to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, south to northcentral North Dakota, northern Minnesota, southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, southern Indiana, southern Ohio, eastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey and Massachusetts, and south in the Appalachians to northeastern Alabama, central Georgia, and northwestern South Carolina. NON-BREEDING: southern California, northern Mexico, and the southeastern U.S. to Costa Rica and Cuba (Sibley and Monroe 1990, Johnson 1995).
Ecology & Habitat

Description

See Heindel (1996) for information on field identification of the solitary vireo complex.

Habitat

Mixed coniferous-deciduous woodland, humid montane forest (Sibley and Monroe 1990); in migration and winter also in "a variety of wooded habitats, but favors tall woodland with live oaks and pines in the temperate zone (AOU 1998); in Costa Rica prefers forest edge and semi-open habitats (Stiles and Skutch 1989). Nest built in twig fork of shrub or conifer, 1-6 m (often less than 3 m) above ground.

Reproduction

Clutch size is 3-5 (usually 4). Incubation, by both sexes, lasts a little less than two weeks. Common host for brown-headed cowbird.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparral
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
IndianaSNAYes
New YorkS5BYes
MinnesotaSNRBYes
WyomingSNAYes
TexasSNAYes
VirginiaS4Yes
MichiganS5Yes
MissouriSNAYes
OklahomaS2NYes
District of ColumbiaS2NYes
MaineS5BYes
IowaS3NYes
ColoradoSNAYes
ConnecticutS5BYes
WisconsinS4BYes
OregonSNAYes
West VirginiaS5BYes
Navajo NationSNAYes
New HampshireS5BYes
South CarolinaS4Yes
DelawareSNAYes
OhioS2Yes
GeorgiaS5Yes
PennsylvaniaS5B,S4MYes
KentuckyS3BYes
LouisianaS4NYes
North DakotaSNAYes
IdahoSNAYes
AlabamaS3B,S4NYes
MassachusettsS4B,S5NYes
North CarolinaS5B,S3NYes
IllinoisS1Yes
TennesseeS4Yes
MississippiS5NYes
New JerseyS4B,S4NYes
ArkansasS4NYes
MarylandS3BYes
KansasSNAYes
FloridaSNRNYes
Rhode IslandS3BYes
VermontS5BYes
CanadaN5B
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS5BYes
British ColumbiaS4BYes
New BrunswickS5BYes
ManitobaS5BYes
Island of NewfoundlandS3B,SUMYes
Prince Edward IslandS5BYes
Nova ScotiaS5BYes
AlbertaS5BYes
QuebecS5BYes
Yukon TerritoryS3BYes
SaskatchewanS5BYes
Northwest TerritoriesS4Yes
Roadless Areas (80)
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Georgia (5)
AreaForestAcres
Boggs CreekChattahoochee National Forest2,073
Helton CreekChattahoochee National Forest2,348
Kelly RidgeChattahoochee National Forest8,325
Lance CreekChattahoochee National Forest9,025
Pink KnobChattahoochee National Forest12,127
Michigan (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear SwampHuron-Manistee National Forest3,915
New Hampshire (11)
AreaForestAcres
Carr MountainWhite Mountain National Forest17,110
Cherry MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,766
Great Gulf Ext.White Mountain National Forest15,110
JobildunkWhite Mountain National Forest3,660
Kinsman MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,999
Mt. Wolf - Gordon PondWhite Mountain National Forest11,846
PemigewassetWhite Mountain National Forest32,255
Pemigewasset ExtWhite Mountain National Forest15,840
Presidential - Dry River ExtWhite Mountain National Forest10,555
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
Wild RiverWhite Mountain National Forest46,878
North Carolina (13)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Balsam ConePisgah National Forest10,591
BearwallowPisgah National Forest4,113
Cheoah BaldNantahala National Forest7,795
Craggy MountainPisgah National Forest2,657
Graveyard Ridge (addition)Pisgah National Forest1,958
Jarrett CreekPisgah National Forest7,485
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Middle Prong AdditionPisgah National Forest1,852
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
Sam Knob (addition)Pisgah National Forest2,576
SnowbirdNantahala National Forest8,489
Woods MountainPisgah National Forest9,602
Pennsylvania (3)
AreaForestAcres
Hearts ContentAllegheny National Forest221
Minister ValleyAllegheny National Forest1,417
Tracy RidgeAllegheny National Forest9,034
South Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bee CoveSumter National Forest3,025
Tennessee (9)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainCherokee National Forest11,743
Bald River Gorge AdditionCherokee National Forest1,728
Beaver Dam CreekCherokee National Forest5,070
Brushy RidgeCherokee National Forest7,469
Devil's BackboneCherokee National Forest4,287
Flint Mill GapCherokee National Forest9,494
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Sycamore CreekCherokee National Forest6,984
Upper Bald RiverCherokee National Forest9,202
Vermont (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Virginia (21)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Beaver Dam CreekJefferson National Forest1,135
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Brush Mountain EastJefferson National Forest4,916
Crawford MountainGeorge Washington National Forest9,892
Gum RunGeorge Washington National Forest12,620
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
Laurel ForkGeorge Washington National Forest9,967
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Mountain Lake Addition B (VA)Jefferson National Forest3,405
Mt. PleasantGeorge Washington National Forest8,933
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Peters Mountain Addition BJefferson National Forest2,909
Raccoon BranchJefferson National Forest4,388
Ramseys Draft AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest12,781
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
Shawvers Run AdditionJefferson National Forest1,927
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
West Virginia (13)
AreaForestAcres
Canaan LoopMonongahela National Forest7,867
Cranberry AdditionMonongahela National Forest11,123
Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaMonongahela National Forest785
Dolly Sods Roaring PlainMonongahela National Forest13,392
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
East Fork Of GreenbrierMonongahela National Forest7,167
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
Mcgowan MountainMonongahela National Forest10,504
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
Mountain Lake Addition B (WV)Jefferson National Forest557
Seneca CreekMonongahela National Forest22,287
Tea Creek MountainMonongahela National Forest8,295
References (34)
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