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Home/Species/ Red-eyed Vireo

Vireo olivaceus

(Linnaeus, 1766)

Red-eyed Vireo

G5Secure Found in 88 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104140
Element CodeABPBW01240
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
Juruviara-Oliva (PT) red-eyed vireo (EN) Viréo aux yeux rouges (FR) Vireo Ojo Rojo, Chiví Común (ES)
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
Species limits in this complex are uncertain; some authors separate V. FLAVOVIRIDIS and V. GRACILIROSTRIS as distinct species. The CHIVI group (Chivi Vireo) is closely related to the OLIVACEUS group and presumably conspecific with it (AOU 1998). V. FLAVOVIRIDIS was recognized as a distinct species by AOU (1987), based in part on genetic distinctness (Johnson and Zink 1985). May constitute a superspecies with V. GRACILIROSTRIS, V. FLAVOVIRIDIS, V. ALTILOQUUS, and V. MAGISTER (AOU 1998). See Banks and Browning (1995) for information on the use of the specific name OLIVACEUS over VIRESCENS. 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)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Large range, common in many areas, stable or increasing populations in most regions, with significant declines in a few states.
Range Extent Comments
BREEDS: British Columbia, probably southeastern Alaska, and Mackenzie to northern Saskatchewan and Newfoundland, south to northern Oregon, northern Idaho, eastern Colorado, Texas, Gulf Coast, and southern Florida; CHIVI group: South America from Colombia, Venezuela and adjacent islands, and Guianas south, west of Andes to western Ecuador and east of Andes to eastern Peru, Bolivia, and central Argentina, also on Fernando de Noronha off Brazil (AOU 1983, 1987). NORTHERN WINTER: South America (western Amazonia); eastern Colombia, southern Venezuela, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and western Brazil; CHIVI group: northern part of breeding range south to Amazon basin (AOU 1983).
Threat Impact Comments
Removal and/or excessive fragmentation of mature forest is detrimental. May be negatively impacted by drought and brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbird.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

A 15-cm-long bird with a sturdy, slightly hooked bill, blue-gray crown, white eyebrow (bordered above and below with black), dark olive back, darker wings and tail, pale, unstreaked underparts, and a red eye (brown in fall juveniles); immatures and some fall adults are yellow on the flanks and undertail coverts; subspecies FLAVOVIRIDIS, which sometimes occurs in California and Texas, is yellower overall, with less distinct black lines on the head (NGS 1983).

Habitat

Open deciduous (less frequently coniferous) forest (especially with sapling undergrowth), mixed forest with deciduous understory, second-growth woodland, scrub, thickets, gardens, mangroves. Most abundant in mature stands. In much of the range, prefers shady oak forests with a high, well-developed closed canopy and a fairly open understory with scanty ground cover (see Bushman and Therres 1988). Most common in forest tracts of at least 15-20 ha but may occur in patches as small as a few hectares (see Bushman and Therres 1988). Prefers closed canopy but tolerates a wide range of canopy closures. In Pennsylvania, more sensitive than other area-dependent birds to increased fragmentation via forest clear-cutting (Yahner 1993). In migration and winter in various open forest, forest edge, woodland, scrub, and brush habitats. Colombia: low to fairly high in shrubby clearings and forest borders (Hilty and Brown 1986).

Nests in fork of slender branch of shrub or low tree, 1-15 m (usually 1-3 m) above ground.

Ecology

45 territories averaged 0.7 ha per pair (Harrison 1979). In maple forests in Quebec, density averaged 1.2 pairs/ha (Darveau et al. 1992). In the Great Lakes region, populations were negatively affected by drought (Hagan and Johnston 1992).

Reproduction

Nests from mid-May to mid-August (peak late May to mid-July) in the mid-Atlantic region (see Bushman and Therres 1988). Clutch size 3-5 in north (usually 4). Occasionally 2 broods per year. Incubation 11-14 days, mostly or entirely by female. Young tended by both parents, leave nest at 10-14 days. One of commonest cowbird hosts.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - MixedShrubland/chaparralSavannaSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
Island of NewfoundlandS3B,SUMYes
Prince Edward IslandS5BYes
LabradorS3B,SUMYes
British ColumbiaS5BYes
OntarioS5BYes
QuebecS5BYes
SaskatchewanS5BYes
Nova ScotiaS5BYes
Yukon TerritoryS2BYes
New BrunswickS5BYes
AlbertaS5BYes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
ManitobaS5BYes
United StatesN5B
ProvinceRankNative
GeorgiaS5Yes
MissouriSNRBYes
OhioS5Yes
MaineS5BYes
KansasS4BYes
MontanaS4BYes
IowaS5B,S5NYes
KentuckyS5BYes
New HampshireS5BYes
AlabamaS5BYes
PennsylvaniaS5BYes
New JerseyS4B,S4NYes
IllinoisS5Yes
LouisianaS4BYes
MississippiS5BYes
NebraskaS4Yes
TexasS5BYes
OregonS3BYes
FloridaSNRBYes
IndianaS4BYes
South DakotaS5BYes
UtahSNAYes
ArizonaS1MYes
ArkansasS4B,S4NYes
WyomingS2BYes
DelawareS5BYes
District of ColumbiaS5B,S5NYes
North DakotaSNRBYes
New MexicoS4NYes
North CarolinaS5BYes
MarylandS5BYes
West VirginiaS5BYes
Rhode IslandS5BYes
AlaskaS3BYes
OklahomaSNRBYes
TennesseeS5Yes
South CarolinaS5BYes
ColoradoS3BYes
MichiganS5Yes
WashingtonS3BYes
VermontS5BYes
IdahoS4BYes
WisconsinS5BYes
New YorkS5BYes
ConnecticutS5BYes
MassachusettsS5BYes
MinnesotaSNRBYes
VirginiaS5Yes
Roadless Areas (88)
Arkansas (2)
AreaForestAcres
Gee CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest7,957
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
Georgia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Boggs CreekChattahoochee National Forest2,073
Cedar MountainChattahoochee National Forest1,083
Pink KnobChattahoochee National Forest12,127
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bighorn - WeitasNez Perce-Clearwater National Forest254,845
Maine (1)
AreaForestAcres
Caribou - Speckled ExtWhite Mountain National Forest5,988
Michigan (1)
AreaForestAcres
FibreHiawatha National Forest7,432
Minnesota (2)
AreaForestAcres
Kawishiwi Lake To SawbillSuperior National Forest15,305
Wood LakeSuperior National Forest596
Montana (2)
AreaForestAcres
CataractKootenai National Forest25,446
Galena #677Kootenai National Forest19,300
New Hampshire (12)
AreaForestAcres
Carr MountainWhite Mountain National Forest17,110
Cherry MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,766
Dartmouth RangeWhite Mountain National Forest9,233
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
New Mexico (2)
AreaForestAcres
Ryan HillCibola National Forest34,201
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
North Carolina (6)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
BearwallowPisgah National Forest4,113
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Woods MountainPisgah National Forest9,602
North Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Long X DivideDakota Prairie Grasslands10,099
Oregon (9)
AreaForestAcres
BuckhornWallowa-Whitman National Forest17,180
Crane MountainFremont National Forest23,096
DeadhorseWallowa-Whitman National Forest10,690
HomesteadWallowa-Whitman National Forest5,817
Imnaha FaceWallowa-Whitman National Forest29,575
Lord Flat Somers PointWallowa-Whitman National Forest67,738
Mountain SheepWallowa-Whitman National Forest19,457
Sheep DivideWallowa-Whitman National Forest16,201
Snake RiverWallowa-Whitman National Forest31,229
South Dakota (2)
AreaForestAcres
Cheyenne RiverBuffalo Gap National Grassland7,572
Red ShirtBuffalo Gap National Grassland17,007
Tennessee (6)
AreaForestAcres
Bald River Gorge AdditionCherokee National Forest1,728
Brushy RidgeCherokee National Forest7,469
Flint Mill GapCherokee National Forest9,494
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Sycamore CreekCherokee National Forest6,984
Upper Bald RiverCherokee National Forest9,202
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mt. AireWasatch-Cache National Forest9,681
Vermont (4)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Devil's Den 09083Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests9,169
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Woodford 09086Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests2,456
Virginia (19)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Garden MountainJefferson National Forest3,960
Gum RunGeorge Washington National Forest12,620
Hoop HoleJefferson National Forest4,652
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Little Walker MountainJefferson National Forest9,818
Mountain Lake Addition AJefferson National Forest1,469
Mt. PleasantGeorge Washington National Forest8,933
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
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
Washington (4)
AreaForestAcres
Higgins MountainMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest13,185
Mt. Baker MaMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest24,847
Mt. Baker Noisy - DiobsudMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest56,039
Willow SpringsUmatilla National Forest10,414
West Virginia (10)
AreaForestAcres
Canaan LoopMonongahela National Forest7,867
Cheat MountainMonongahela National Forest8,191
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
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
Tea Creek MountainMonongahela National Forest8,295
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