Breast bright yellow; a yellow ring around the eye, two white wing-bands, bill rather stout. L. 6.
Range. Nests from Florida and Texas to Canada; winters in the tropics.
Washington, common S.R., Apl. 19-Sept. 29. Ossining, tolerably common S.R., Apl. 30-Sept. 7. Cambridge, commons S.R., May 6-Sept. 10. N. Ohio, common S.R., Apl. 25-Sept. 25. Glen Ellyn, not common S.R., May 2-Sept. 26. SE Minn., common S.R., Apl. 27-Sept. 15.
A less common bird than the Red-eye, but like it generally distributed through woodland, garden and orchard. It's song resembles the Red-eye's in form but is richer in tone, more deliberately uttered, and not continuous. "See me—I'm here—where are you?" he seems to say, and after a pause repeats the query.
The nest has the deep cup-shape of our other Vireo's but is externally covered with lichens. The eggs, laid the latter part of May, are white with a few specks of black or brown.
BLUE-HEADED VIREO
Lanivireo solitarius solitarius. [Case 6], Fig. 68
Eye-ring and lores white, head grayish blue, underparts white, the sides yellowish; two wing-bars. L. 5½.
Range. Nests from the mountains of northern New Jersey and of Pennsylvania to Canada; winters from the Gulf States southward.
Washington, common T.V., Apl. 6-May 18; Sept. 6-Nov. 3. Ossining, tolerably common T.V., Apl. 23-May 14; Sept. 8-Oct. 20. Cambridge, common T.V., rare S.R., Apl. 20-May 8; Sept. 15-Oct. 5. N. Ohio, common T.V., Apl. 17-May 20; Sept. 1-30. Glen Ellyn, not common T.V., May 9-19; Aug. 11-Oct. 9. SE. Minn., common T.V., May 3-Sept. 28.
We know this Vireo chiefly as a migrant, one of the earliest of the group of small arboreal wood-haunting birds (Vireos and Warblers) to reach us in the spring. Its song, as well as its movements, are deliberate. Vireo-like it peers beneath the leaves or inspects the blossoms, removing a caterpillar here or an insect's egg there, the while singing leisurely a rich-toned rendering of the Red-eye's theme.