Family: Vireonidae, Vireos view all from this family

Description 5" (13 cm). Warbler-sized. Olive green above and white below with yellow flanks; yellow "spectacles;" white wing bars. Adult has white eye; immature has dark eye.

Habitat Dense swampy thickets and hillsides with blackberry and briar tangles.

Nesting 4 brown-dotted white eggs in a purse-shaped nest of bark strips and grass, lined with spider silk, moss, and lichens, and set from 3 to 6' (1 to 2 m) up in thick undergrowth.

Range Breeds from Nebraska, Illinois, Ohio, southeastern New York, and central New England south to eastern Texas and southern Florida. Winters from Gulf Coast and Florida southward.

Voice   Loud, explosive series of notes, chip-a-wheeoo-chip or Quick, give me a rain check!

Discussion While most vireos inhabit tall trees, this species is usually found in thickets, where its presence is most easily detected by its loud and distinctive song. A patient observer can usually get a good look at one by standing quietly and waiting for the bird's curiosity to bring it into view. The Brown-headed Cowbird favors this vireo's nest for its own eggs.