Bird Guide

Black-whiskered Vireo vs Brown-capped Vireo

Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus)

Black-whiskered Vireo

Vireo altiloquus

Small19 gWoodland

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".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Black-whiskered Vireo
Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz · Song · Mariño (near Porlamar), Mariño Municipality, Nueva Esparta, Nueva Esparta, Venezuela · CC0
Photo: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová · CC BY 4.0
Brown-capped Vireo (Vireo leucophrys)

Brown-capped Vireo

Vireo leucophrys

Tiny12 gForest

The brown-capped vireo is 11.5 to 12.5 cm (4.5 to 4.9 in) long and weighs about 12 to 13.5 g (0.42 to 0.48 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies V. l. leucophrys have an olive-brown crown, a white supercilium, a dusky spot on their lores, a dusky streak behind the eye, and grayish white ear coverts. Their upperparts, wings, and tail are grayish olive to brownish olive-green with yellow edges on the wing coverts. Their throat and upper breast are grayish white and the rest of their underparts pale yellow. Voice: The brown-capped vireo's song has been described as "a short, sweet 2.5-3-sec. warble, similar to Warbling Vireo song", "a silky, ripping, and somewhat hurried little refrain, here you sée me hear me sing so swéet", and "a hesitating, pleasant warble of variable pattern...wurlze-wee-wee wurzle-weezle-wee wurzle-wee". One description of its call is "a wheezing, descending zreeEEEEw".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Brown-capped Vireo
Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz @rosaelena_naturaleza · Call · San Antonio De Los Altos, Los Salias, Miranda, Venezuela · CC0
Photo: Alina Martin · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-whiskered Vireo and Brown-capped Vireo.