Black-whiskered Vireo
Vireo altiloquus
The Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus) is a uncommon shrike-babblers, erpornis, and vireo found in 40 countries, weighing about 19 g. The black-whiskered vireo is a small passerine bird in the family Vireonidae, the vireos, greenlets, and shrike-babblers.
About the Black-whiskered Vireo
The black-whiskered vireo is a small passerine bird in the family Vireonidae, the vireos, greenlets, and shrike-babblers. It is found in Florida, the Bahamas, many Caribbean islands, and northern and Amazonian South America.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The black-whiskered vireo is 15 to 16.5 cm (5.9 to 6.5 in) long. The nominate subspecies V. a. altiloquus weighs an average of 18 g (0.63 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a bluish gray forehead and crown with a buff-olive tinge, a buffy whitish supercilium from the bill past the eye, a wide dusky stripe through the eye, and the eponymous black "whisker" on the sides of the throat. Their nape and upperparts are olive-green. Voice: Migratory black-whiskered vireos sing during the breeding season and are silent on the wintering grounds. Nonmigratory populations sing year-round but more frequently during the breeding season. In the West Indies the black-whiskered vireo sings monotonously throughout the day, "hort, melodious 2- to 3-syllable phrases, each different, separated by pauses".
What the Black-whiskered Vireo sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Peru, Costa Rica, Honduras, Anguilla.
When to see it
Best months: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, with peak activity in April. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Black-whiskered Vireo?
- The black-whiskered vireo is 15 to 16.5 cm (5.9 to 6.5 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Black-whiskered Vireo?
- The Black-whiskered Vireo is a small sized bird weighing about 19 g.
- Where can you see a Black-whiskered Vireo?
- The Black-whiskered Vireo occurs in 40 countries, including Puerto Rico, the United States, Guadeloupe, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
- What does a Black-whiskered Vireo sound like?
- You can listen to 2 field recordings of the Black-whiskered Vireo on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Black-whiskered Vireo?
- The Black-whiskered Vireo is most easily confused with the Brown-capped Vireo, the Mangrove Vireo and the Yellow-green Vireo.
- Is the Black-whiskered Vireo endangered?
- The Black-whiskered Vireo is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Black-whiskered Vireo for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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