Vireos | Vireonidae

Vireo's | Vireos

Vireos are small to medium songbirds found only in the Americas; nineteen species occur in the region. In looks they fall between a warbler and a small shrike: greenish or grey above, pale below, with a stouter bill than a warbler's and a small hook at the tip. The pattern of head, eye-ring and eye-stripe is the key feature. They move slowly through the canopy, picking caterpillars and other insects from the leaves and also eating berries. Black-whiskered Vireo breeds on almost every island and largely moves to South America after the breeding season. The Greater Antilles have species of their own, such as Cuban Vireo, two species on Jamaica, Flat-billed Vireo of Hispaniola and Puerto Rican Vireo; Thick-billed Vireo lives in the Bahamas, Cuba and the Cayman Islands. In winter North American species such as White-eyed Vireo are added, and Trinidad has Rufous-browed Peppershrike and two small greenlets.