THE RED-EYED VIREO 

 Vireo Family — Vireonidce 



Length : About 614 inches. 



Male and Female: Olive-green above, silvery white below; 

 crown gray, bordered with a narrow black line; a 

 broader white line over the eye, a dark streak through 

 the eye; iris red or reddish-brown; wings and tail 

 grayish-green, edged with olive. 



Habitat: In open woodlands and along well-shaded roads. 



Range: North and South America. Breeds from central 

 Canada, northwestern, central, and eastern United 

 States, to central Forida; winters in South America. 



Note: A nasal whdh, that sounds ill-natured and unpleasant. 



Song: A series of phrases — incessant, monotonous, — that con- 

 tinue from morning until night, and during August, 

 when most birds are quiet. Wilson Flagg called 

 the Red-eye the "Preacher-bird" and wrote of him 

 asi follows: 



"The Preacher is more generally known by his 

 note, because he is incessant in his song, and par- 

 ticularly vocal during the heat of our long summer 

 days, when only a few birds are singing. His style 

 of preaching is not declamation. Though constantly 

 talking, he takes the part of a deliberative orator, 

 who explains his subject in a few words and then 

 makes a pause for his hearers to reflect upon it. 

 We might suppose him to be repeating moderately, 

 with a pause between each sentence, 'You see it — you 

 know it — do you hear me? — do you believe it?' 

 All these strains are delivered with a rising inflection 

 at the close, and with a pause, as if waiting for an 

 answer. 



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