Vireo flavoviridis
Yellow-green Vireo is considered the tropical counterpart of Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) with which it was once considered conspecific (Oberholser 1974). See Howell and Webb [1995] and Pyle [1997] for vocal and plumage comparisons between these two species.
DISTRIBUTION. TBBA data from 1987- 1992 shows 3 breeding records for Yellow-green Vireo including a confirmed report from latilong 26097 (Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in 1988 and 1989; Lockwood and Freeman 2004). The data also show a possible report from 25097 in the lower Rio Grande River valley and a probable in latilong 30097. This is further north than any specimen locations show on Oberholser’s (1974) map. He reports another nesting in Cameron County in 1943 and a summer specimen taken in this county.
Yellow-green Vireo has probably nested in Arizona (Corman 2005) and breeds regularly along both coasts of mainland Mexico and Central America south to Panama. The species winters in South America (Howell and Webb 1995).
SEASONAL OCCURRENCE. Oberholser (1974) reports spring records from May 6-14, a probable breeding season of mid-May to mid-July and fall migrants reported from July 3 to October 13. There are no winter records for Texas ( Lockwood and Freeman 2004).
BREEDING HABITAT. Oberholser (1974) suggests an elevational range of near sea level to 45 m (150 ft) and reports records for the species from riparian and other thick vegetation. In southern Arizona Yellow-green Vireos have been reported in areas with combinations of sycamore, cottonwood, willow, ash and hackberry trees (Corman 2005). In Mexico Howell and Webb (1995) found this vireo breeding in riparian woodland, plantations and scrubby forest edges.
The breeding biology of Yellow-green Vireo is similar to that of the Red-eyed vireo (Harrison 1979).
STATUS. Lockwood and Freeman (2004). classify Yellow-green Vireo as a casual spring migrant to the Texas coast and a rare summer resident in the lower Rio Grande River valley.
Text by Robert C. Tweit (2005)
Literature cited.
Corman, T. E. 2005. Yellow-green Vireo (Vireo flavoviridis). In Arizona breeding bird atlas.p p. 598 (T. E. Corman and C. Wise-Gervais, eds.). University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
Harrison, H. H. 1979. A field guide to western birds’ nests. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA.
Howell, S. N. G. and S. Web.b 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, New York.
Lockwood, M. W. and B. Freeman. 2004. The TOS handbook of Texas birds. Texas A&M University Press, College Station.
Oberholser, H. C. 1974. The bird life of Texas. University of Texas Press, Austin.
Pyle, P. 1997. Identification guide to North American birds, part 1. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, CA.