Vireos (Vireonidae)

White-eyed Vireo

Vireo griseus

Male has nine to twenty short, primary songs that usually start and often end with a sharp chik or chip. He sings one repeatedly and then switches to another. Here are five songs of one territorial bird (each repeated once). The male also sings a longer rambling song that reminds me of the Gray Catbird. Sometimes combines different song elements together. In this example, he combined a primary song with short rambling-type song and then a little later sang each part separately. (Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana.)
Habitat: Thickets, shrubby vegetation, brambles, dense understory.

Bell's Vireo

Vireo bellii

The male's primary song is short, variable and sounds hurried and squeaky or scratchy. A bird often alternates two song types in which the final phrase is rising or falling making it sound like a question and answer. Bell's Vireo also sings a longer rambling song comprising a series of mostly squeaky notes and sometimes including parts of a primary song. The rambling song can be much longer than the three short examples in the recording. The bird in these recordings was singing from a dense hedgerow near the Rio Grande. Females are thought to sing, but do so very uncommonly. (Big Bend National Park, Texas.)
Habitat: Thickets, dense shrubs often near water, shrubby fields.

Yellow-throated Vireo

Vireo flavifrons

Seemingly a laid-back bird, it sings a slow-paced series of two or three note songs which have a husky or burry quality that distinguishes it from other vireos in eastern North America. Usually sings from high in trees. (Rensselaer County, New York.)
Habitat: Deciduous or mixed woods.

Plumbeous Vireo

Vireo plumbeus

The pace of the male's singing is reminiscent of the Blue-headed Vireo, but some songs have a burry quality similar to the those of the Yellow-throated Vireo. The order of his songs varies, but he rarely sings the same song twice in a row. Sings from mid to upper level of trees. These birds were singing while moving through the trees foraging. (Six songs and a note from one bird and six from a second. Custer County, South Dakota and Sandoval County, New Mexico.)
Habitat: Primarily dry coniferous forests, but also inhabits deciduous forests.

Blue-headed Vireo

Vireo solitarius

Songs are similar to the Red-eyed Vireo but the delivery is usually slower and more deliberate. Usually sings from high in the trees. (Albany County, New York.)
Habitat: Mixed deciduous and coniferous woods.

Warbling Vireo

Vireo gilvus

Song is a pleasing series of melodious warbles. (Albany County, New York.)
Habitat: Deciduous trees.

Red-eyed Vireo

Vireo olivaceus

Sings incessantly with few pauses from high in trees. Song may sound similar to the Blue-headed Vireo's song, but the Red-eye usually sings more rapidly. I estimate that the second bird in this recording had roughly 50 songs in his repertoire, which is in the middle of the normal range (17-113). (Two birds, Lewis and Albany Counties, New York.)
Habitat: Deciduous woods.