BIRD SPECIES

Hutton's Vireo

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Vireo huttoni

The Hutton's Vireo is a small, stocky vireo with a large head, short, thick bill, rather short wings, and a moderately long tail.

Both sexes measure about 3.9 - 4.7 inches in length, with a wingspan of 7.5 - 8.3 inches and weight of 9 - 15 grams.

They are grayish olive above, pale gray below (sometimes with pale olive tones to the flanks). Wings are darker with two wingbars. Face shows an incomplete eyering, thicker in front of and behind the eye (similar to the Ruby-crowned Kinglet’s face pattern).

CALL: Most often heard calls are a nasal "chu" and a flat "chit".

SONG: A rising "zu-wee" or a descending "zo-zoo", repeated over and over again at about one per second for as long as 10 minutes.

Feeds mostly on insects and spiders, but also feeds on fruits and berries, especially during the winter months.

Found in oak and oak-pine forests and woodlands, in forested riparian areas, in areas of dense, tall shrubs, and in evergreen forests with a dense understory.

Found from southern British Columbia in Canada to central Guatemala in Central America.

Mostly resident year-round, but there may be some altitudinal and short distance migration.

They may join a mixed-species flock for the winter.

The male and female build a cup-shaped nest suspended from a forked branch, with the exterior heavily draped with mosses, lichens, grasses, spider cocoons, feathers, leaves, bark, and string, all held together with spiderweb.

The female lays 1 - 5 white eggs with a few small brown dots. Incubation lasts about 14 - 16 days.

SOURCES:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org
https://www.sdakotabirds.com
https://en.wikipedia.org