Illustration © David Allen Sibley.
Learn more about these drawings.
Text © Kenn Kaufman, adapted from
Lives of North American Birds
Photo: Doug Wechsler/Vireo
Black-whiskered Vireo
Vireo altiloquus
| Conservation status | Declined seriously on west coast of Florida in the 1980s, after severe winters killed many mangroves there, and after Brown-headed Cowbirds became more common in that area. |
|---|---|
| Family | Vireos |
| Habitat | Mangroves; low woods. In Florida, breeds mainly in coastal mangrove swamps, but also in subtropical hardwoods on dry land, sometimes several miles inland. Migrants wandering beyond southern Florida may be in any kind of forest, but usually close to the coast. In winter in South America, found in open woods and forest edge. |
Photo Gallery
Feeding Behavior
Forages by searching rather deliberately among foliage for insects, usually in the upper levels of mangroves or other trees.
Eggs
Usually 3, sometimes 2. White, with spots of brown, purple, or black. Incubation is by female only; length of incubation period not well known. Young: Female feeds the young and probably male does also, but details (including age at which the young leave the nest) are not well known.
Young
Female feeds the young and probably male does also, but details (including age at which the young leave the nest) are not well known.
Diet
Mostly insects and other arthropods, some berries. At times, up to 40% of diet can be spiders. Also feeds on many insects, including caterpillars, earwigs, beetles, wasps, bees, true bugs, flies, mosquitoes, and others. Also eats some berries and possibly seeds during the breeding season. In winter, in the tropics, up to 50% of diet can be berries and small fruit.
Nesting
Males arrive in Florida in April, and defend breeding territories by singing continuously throughout the day. Nest: Placed 3-20' above the ground or water, in a mangrove or a deciduous tree. Nest (built by female) is a compact, basket-like cup, suspended by the rim, woven onto a horizontal forked twig. Made of seaweed, grass, weeds, palmetto fibers, spiderwebs, cocoons, lichen; lined with grass, pine needles, and hair.
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- All Seasons - Common
- All Seasons - Uncommon
- Breeding - Common
- Breeding - Uncommon
- Winter - Common
- Winter - Uncommon
- Migration - Common
- Migration - Uncommon
Songs and Calls
Similar to that of Red-eyed Vireo but distinctly more abrupt, and in 1- to 4-note phrases, sometimes described as Whip-Tom-Kelly.Black-whiskered Vireo In the News More News
Birding
Four Vireos Worth Chasing in the U.S.
They're rare, and they're rad. Here's where to find them.
The Birdist’s Rules Of Birding
Birdist Rule #95: Learn the Red-Eyed Vireo's Song and Level-Up Your Birding
Knowing this species opens the door to a whole new world of birds.
