Home, near and far.
Its breeding range spans across most of Canada and the eastern and central United States, extending west into parts of the northwestern U.S. It winters primarily in the Amazon basin of South America.
Birds Heard
FIELD GUIDE
FIELD GUIDE
Shrike-babblers, Erpornis, and Vireos
Red-eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceus
The Red-eyed Vireo is a common songbird known for its persistent, melodic singing throughout the summer. This neat, olive-green and white bird has a distinctive head pattern and, as its name suggests, red eyes in adulthood. Often heard more than seen, it forages methodically in the leafy canopy of forests.
MigratoryMedium-small sizePersistent songInsectivorous/Frugivorous
- Length
- 13-15 cm
- Wingspan
- 23-28 cm
- Weight
- 12-26 g
Typical adult measurements.
Individuals and populations vary.
01 / The telltale details
You’ll know it
when you see it.
Start with shape and behavior. Then look for the smaller details.
- 01
Eye
Adults have vivid red eyes, though they can appear dark from a distance; juveniles have brown eyes.
- 02
Head Pattern
A crisp pattern of a slate-gray crown, a white eyebrow stripe, and a black line bordering the eyebrow and running through the eye.
- 03
Plumage
Olive-green upperparts and clean white underparts, often with a pale yellow wash on the flanks and undertail coverts.
- 04
Bill
A strong, relatively long bill with a slight hook at the tip.
02 / A place in the world
Where life
takes it.
Breeds in deciduous and mixed forests, often favoring areas with a shrubby understory, clearings, or forest edges. It can also be found in well-wooded suburbs, parks, and cemeteries.
Stay a while. Or follow the season.
This species is a Neotropical migrant, undertaking long-distance nocturnal migrations. Birds breeding in North America fly to northern South America for the winter, concentrating in the Amazon Basin.
03 / Listen a little closer
A voice
of its own.
The song is a continuous series of short, emphatic, two- or three-note phrases, often described as a questioning and answering pattern. It also gives a whiny, catbird-like mew call.
04 / The life behind the feathers
A day in its world.
On the menu.
During the breeding season, its diet consists mainly of insects, particularly caterpillars, beetles, and flies. In late summer and fall, it supplements its diet with small fruits and berries, becoming almost entirely frugivorous in winter.
Red-eyed Vireos forage slowly and methodically through the tree canopy, gleaning insects from leaves and stems. They may also catch insects in mid-air.
A place to begin.
The female builds a compact, cup-shaped nest, typically woven onto a horizontal forked twig in a deciduous shrub or tree, usually 2-60 feet above the ground. She incubates 3-5 eggs for 11-14 days, and both parents feed the young.
The little routines.
Males are renowned for their persistent singing throughout the day during the breeding season. Pairs are seasonally monogamous. They may join mixed-species flocks during migration and on wintering grounds.
One more reason to pay attention
A familiar face.
A few surprises.
A single male Red-eyed Vireo has been recorded singing over 20,000 times in 14 hours.
The red iris that gives the species its name develops after the first winter; juveniles have brown eyes.
Red-eyed Vireos use a magnetic compass to guide their intercontinental migrations.
05 / An eye for the difference
Could it be
someone else?
Philadelphia Vireo
Vireo philadelphicusThe Philadelphia Vireo typically has a more yellowish wash on its underparts and lacks the strong black border above the white eyebrow of the Red-eyed Vireo.
Warbling Vireo
Vireo gilvusWarbling Vireos have a less distinct head pattern, lacking the strong black eye-line and often appearing grayer on the back compared to the Red-eyed Vireo's olive-green.
Yellow-green Vireo
Vireo flavoviridisThe Yellow-green Vireo is generally yellower overall with less distinct black lines on the head than the Red-eyed Vireo.
Behind these field notesResearch & references · 12 sources
AI-assisted species research. Prepared September 2026. Details can vary across regions and populations.