Black-whiskered Vireo

Taxobox
name = Black-whiskered Vireo


status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Vireonidae
genus = "Vireo"
species = "V. altiloquus"
binomial = "Vireo altiloquus"
binomial_authority = (Vieillot, 1808)

The Black-whiskered Vireo, "Vireo altiloquus", is a small passerine bird, which breeds in southern Florida, USA, and the West Indies as far south as the offshore islands of Venezuela. It is a partial migrant, with northern birds wintering from the Greater Antilles to northern South America. This species has occurred as a rare vagrant to Costa Rica.

The breeding habitat is open deciduous wooded areas and cultivation, and in Florida also mangroves. The Black-whiskered Vireo builds a cup nest in a fork of a tree branch, and lays 2-3 white eggs.

This vireo is 14–15 cm in length, has a 25 cm wingspan and weighs 17–19 g. It has thick blue-grey legs and a stout bill.

The adult Black-whiskered Vireo has dull olive-green upperparts and white underparts, with yellowish on the flanks and under the tail. It has red eyes and a grey-brown crown with faint dusky edges. There is a dark line through the eyes and a white eyebrow stripe. There is a distinctive black line (the “whisker”) on the neck sides. Juvenile birds are similar, but have brown-red eyes.

This species is similar to Red-eyed Vireo, but is duller and browner above, and is best distinguished by the black whisker mark. The song is a three-syllable "whip, Tom Kelly", more abrupt than that of Red-eyed Vireo.

The Florida race "V. a. barbatulus" is shorter-billed by 15% than the northern Caribbean subspecies "V. a. bonairensis". The latter form has occurred in the USA as a vagrant to Florida and Louisiana.

The Black-whiskered Vireo gleans insects from tree foliage, sometimes hovering while foraging. It will also eat small quantities of berries

This bird suffers from nest parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird in its US range, and Shiny Cowbird further south.

References

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
*cite book
last = Hilty
first = Steven L
title = Birds of Venezuela
publisher = Christopher Helm
date = 2003
location = London
isbn = 0-7136-6418-5
*cite book
last = ffrench
first = Richard
title = A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago
edition = 2nd edition
year = 1991
publisher = Comstock Publishing
isbn = 0-8014-9792-2
* "A guide to the birds of Costa Rica" by Stiles and Skutch ISBN 0-8014-9600-4