Philadelphia Vireo
Vireo philadelphicus
The Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus) is a common shrike-babblers, erpornis, and vireo found in 26 countries, weighing about 12 g. The Philadelphia vireo is a small North American songbird in the vireo family (Vireonidae).
About the Philadelphia Vireo
The Philadelphia vireo is a small North American songbird in the vireo family (Vireonidae). "Vireo" is a Latin word referring to a green migratory bird, perhaps the female golden oriole, possibly the European greenfinch. The specific philadelphicus is for the city of Philadelphia.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Adults are mainly olive-brown on the upperparts with yellow underparts; they have dark eyes and a grey crown. They have no wing bars and no eye ring. There is a dark line through the eyes and a white stripe just over them. They have thick blue-grey legs and a stout bill. The Philadelphia vireo is similar in appearance to the warbling vireo, but can be reliably distinguished by having much yellower underparts, and dark lores.
What the Philadelphia Vireo sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Colombia, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Ecuador.
When to see it
Best months: April, May, June, August, September, October, with peak activity in May. It is a passage migrant species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Philadelphia Vireo?
- Adults are mainly olive-brown on the upperparts with yellow underparts; they have dark eyes and a grey crown. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Philadelphia Vireo?
- The Philadelphia Vireo is a tiny sized bird weighing about 12 g.
- Where can you see a Philadelphia Vireo?
- The Philadelphia Vireo occurs in 26 countries, including the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama.
- What does a Philadelphia Vireo sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Philadelphia Vireo on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Philadelphia Vireo?
- The Philadelphia Vireo is most easily confused with the Cassin's Vireo, the Bell's Vireo and the Plumbeous Vireo.
- Is the Philadelphia Vireo endangered?
- The Philadelphia Vireo is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Philadelphia Vireo for real
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