Summary

  • Natural history: Despite its plain gray-and-white plumage, the Warbling Vireo makes up for its looks with a long, cheerful, rambling song, typically delivered from within a canopy of aspen or cottonwood leaves that keeps the singer hard to spot. Vermont records of the species date back to the mid-1800s, and it has thrived alongside suburban development, nesting in maturing yard and roadside trees even in built-up areas, a pattern echoed dramatically in New York’s second atlas, where the heavily urbanized New York City region saw occurrence jump by roughly 390 percent. For a bird that breeds all the way from Alaska to Nova Scotia, the Warbling Vireo squeezes its winter range down to a slender ribbon of Central America running from northern Mexico to Nicaragua.
  • Status in VT: Increased by 11% (123 to 137 blocks). Greatest increase in Northeastern Highlands.
  • Data from other research: No additional data for VT.
  • Conservation status: State rank S5B
  • Other atlases: NY: 13%; PA: 76%; MD: 14%; ON: stable
  • VT’s role in North American range: VT is within the core of the range.
  • Causes of change since first Atlas: Adapted well to suburban areas.
  • Management/Monitoring recommendations:No current recommendations.

Population Trends

Warbling Vireo graph

First Vermont Breeding Bird Atlas (1976-1981)

Species Account

Second Vermont Breeding Bird Atlas (2003 – 2007)

Species Account

Warbling Vireo Map 1Warbling Vireo Table 1Warbling Vireo Table 2

Change in Distribution

mapkeyWarbling Vireo Map 2Warbling Vireo Table 3

Links

Vermont eBird

Encyclopedia of Life

All About Birds