Hutton's vireo
Hutton's vireo (Vireo huttoni) is a small songbird. It is approximately 5 inches (12–13 cm) in length, dull olive-gray above and below. It has a faint white eye ring and faint white wing bars. It closely resembles a ruby-crowned kinglet, but has a thicker bill and is slightly larger in size. Its most common song is a repeated chu-wee, or a chew, but will have other variations. Its call is a mewing chatter.
| Hutton's vireo | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Vireonidae |
| Genus: | Vireo |
| Species: | V. huttoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Vireo huttoni Cassin, 1851 | |
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It is found from southern British Columbia in Canada to central Guatemala in Central America. Recent DNA studies suggest this species may be split into at least 2 different species, with coastal Pacific birds showing enough genetic variation when compared to interior ones.
This vireo makes a hanging cup nest suspended from a fork of a tree. The female lays 3–4 eggs. The eggs are mostly white in color, with scattered brown spotting. It prefers deciduous-mixed forests, and is particularly fond of live oak. It feeds by gleaning insects as it deliberately moves through the forest canopy.
Birds are mostly resident year-round, but there may be some altitudinal and short distance migration. Hutton's vireo may join a mixed-species flock for the winter.
The scientific name commemorates the US surveyor William Rich Hutton.[2]
References
- BirdLife International (2012). "Vireo huttoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Jobling, James A. (2010). Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
External links
- Hutton's Vireo Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Hutton's Vireo - Vireo huttoni - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Hutton's Vireo species account-E-Nature
- Hutton's Vireo photo gallery VIREO