White-eyed Vireo

I shot the following video of a singing male White-eyed Vireo yesterday at an undisclosed location in Connecticut. Unfortunately, it is not accessible to the public. The bird is holding territory, waiting and hoping for a female. While the White-eyed Vireo is not a species at risk, it is a somewhat rare sight in Connecticut. Our state is at the northern edge of its breeding range. You can hear the primary song in the video. Near the end, you will see an antagonistic display with an agitated call.

White-eyed Vireo from Connecticut Audubon Society.

I left the area shortly after it got angry with me. The species prefers late successional habitat, and this site is covered with thick shrubs and small trees. I had to carefully crawl through and under a lot of brush to reach his preferred spot. The video shakes a few times because of the exceptionally difficult angles I was forced to hold the camera at. Hopefully I will have video of a nest or young this summer, but either way, we should be able to see more of this guy soon.


Video © Scott Kruitbosch