THE RED-EYED VIREO 



{Vireo olivaceus.) 



It is to be regretted that the beauti- 

 ful Red-eyed Vireos are not better 

 known, but they do not like to be 

 watched and will usually retreat when 

 they find that they are observed. They 

 are the most common of our vireos and 

 they frequent the shade trees of the 

 streets and lawns of villages and cities 

 as well as those of orchards and wood- 

 lands. Their range is extensive as it 

 covers eastern North America westward 

 to Utah and British Columbia, and from 

 the Arctic regions southward. They 

 winter in Central and the northern 

 portion of South America and they 

 breed nearly throughout their North 

 American range. 



These Vireos show a most happy dis- 

 position. They sing their loud though 

 musical and simple song as soon as they 

 arrive from their winter home and con- 

 tinue singing until about the time they 

 leave us for the south in the fall. The 

 song consists of only a few notes which 

 are uttered in a pathetic though some- 

 what urgent voice and are frequently 

 repeated throughout the day, even when 

 the heat of the noon hour has silenced 

 the voices of other birds. The song of 

 the Red-eye is so constant and of such 

 a nature that he was given the name 

 Preacher by Wilson Flagg, who has 

 given us the following excellent descrip- 

 tion: "The Preacher is more generally 

 known by his note, because he is inces- 

 sant in his song, and particularly vocal 

 during the heat of our long summer 

 days, when only a few birds are singing. 

 His style of preaching is not declama- 

 tion. 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 de- 

 livered with a rising inflection at the 

 close, and with a pause, as if waiting 

 for an answer." 



While the Red-eye Vireos are beauti- 

 ful birds in every respect, this is by no 

 means all that can be said in their favor. 

 There are probably no birds which are 

 more beneficial. Their principal, food 

 consists of many kinds of destructive 

 and noxious insects. Mr. Ridgway has 

 said: "Seeking for these is his constant 

 occupation, as he hops along a branch, 

 now peering into some crevice of the 

 bark or nook among the foliage, even 

 uttering his pretty song during the in- 

 terval between swallowing the last worm 

 and finding the next." Though their 

 usual habitats are the woodlands and lar- 

 ger groves, they also industriously seek 

 their insect food upon the orchard and 

 shade trees which they may frequent. 

 Probably one of the most valuable of 

 their services to man is their careful 

 search for insects in buds and on leaves. 

 The majority of the insects which they 

 capture are not in motion but occasion- 

 ally they are caught while on the wing. 

 Because of the latter habit, the are fre- 

 quently called Red-eyed Flycatchers. 



The homes of these vireos are neat 

 pensile nests. It is said that the females 

 perform most of the work in the build- 

 ing of the nests, though they are assisted 

 by their mates who bring materials. 

 The appearance of the nests varies quite 

 a great deal. The walls are made of 

 woven fine strips of bark, fibrous vege- 

 table substances and other materials. 

 Sometimes the exterior is left rough and 

 unfinished in appearance, while in other 

 instances the exterior surfaces are beau- 

 tifully decorated with the webs of 

 spiders and caterpillars and with light 

 colored vegetable hairs. When thus 

 completed, the nests bear a very finely 

 finished appearance. The nests are very 



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