All species › Passerines › Shrike-babblers, Erpornis and vireos › Yellow-green Vireo
Yellow-green Vireo | Vireo flavoviridis
Geelgroene vireo | Vireo verdiamarillo | Juruviara-verde-amarelada
The Yellow-green Vireo breeds from Mexico to Panama and winters in the western Amazon Basin. In the guide area it is a passage migrant in Colombia and a numerous winter visitor to the Amazonian lowlands of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It is a close relative of Red-eyed Vireo.
Voice
In winter quarters mainly a nasal, whining call. The song is a series of short, sparrow-like phrases with pauses, shorter and drier than that of Red-eyed Vireo.
Recording: Stephan Risch — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto
Identification
15 cm, with a fairly long, strong bill and red eyes in adults. The crown is grey with a faint dark border, the supercilium white and the eye-line weak, with pale lores. The upperparts are bright olive-green. The underparts are whitish, with bright yellow flanks and undertail coverts. The sexes are alike; young birds have brown eyes.
Confusion species
Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus has a more sharply black-bordered crown, a distinct black eye-line and less yellow on the flanks and undertail; South American resident birds of that species do show some yellow and are the most similar. Black-whiskered Vireo Vireo altiloquus has a dark malar stripe and is duller olive-brown.
Habitat
Canopy and edges of lowland forest, várzea, river islands, secondary forest, plantations and gardens, mainly below 1000 m, higher on passage. It searches the foliage for insects and eats much fruit, often in mixed flocks. It breeds in semi-open country with trees in Central America.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the vegetation units of the Andes and the west coast.
Range and movements
Colombia: passage migrant in much of the country, mainly in September–October and March–April, and winter visitor in the Amazonian lowlands. Ecuador: winter visitor in the east, on passage also in the west. Peru: winter visitor in the Amazonian lowlands. Bolivia: scarce winter visitor in the north. Absent from the Galápagos. Outside the guide area it breeds from southern Texas and Mexico to Panama.
- Resident
- Summer visitor (c. Apr–Sep)
- Winter visitor (c. Oct–Mar)
- Passage (Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov)
- dark = core range, pale = thinly spread
How and when to look
Between October and March in the Amazonian lowlands, for example around Iquitos or Leticia, check mixed flocks and fruiting trees for a vireo with yellow flanks and undertail.
Conservation status
Least Concern. The species has a large range and tolerates secondary forest and semi-open country.
Scientific name
Vireo flavoviridis | (Cassin, 1851)
Cassin described the species in 1851 as Vireosylvia flavoviridis; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. The genus Vireo was introduced in 1808 by Vieillot. The genus name is Latin vireo, a green migratory bird, perhaps the female golden oriole or the greenfinch; related to virere, 'to be green'. The species name comes from Latin flavus, 'yellow', and viridis, 'green': 'yellow-green'. The specimen the first description was based on came from San Juan de Nicaragua, Nicaragua.