# Western Warbling Vireo

*Vireo swainsoni*

Unusually for songbirds, male Western Warbling Vireos are known to sing while they are sitting directly on the nest to incubate eggs.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Vireonidae › Vireo
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous and mixed forests, particularly riparian woodlands with cottonwood and aspen.
- **Diet:** Primarily insectivorous, focusing on caterpillars, beetles, and spiders; also eats small berries in late summer.
- **Range:** Western Canada, Western United States, Mexico, Central America
- **Size:** 12-14 cm length, wingspan of approximately 22 cm.
- **Lifespan:** 2-5 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss in wintering grounds, window strikes, and brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and shy. Best observed from a distance with binoculars to avoid disturbing nesting sites. If you find an injured bird, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator; do not attempt to feed or keep it.

## About

The warbling vireo ( Vireo gilvus ) is a small North American songbird.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/d450a0df-a50e-427a-8872-fd2495b12a7c
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1652206
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warbling_vireo
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/93520868/medium.jpeg (no rights reserved, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.