Bell’s Vireo: Greenlet

_{This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.}

The Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii) is a small, active species that birder and author Pete Dunne describes as “a brush-hugging gremlin in vireo’s clothing.” Widely distributed across the central and southwestern United States, this busy denizen of the underbrush, like its close relative the White-eyed Vireo, is more often heard than seen, betraying its presence with incessant, chattering songs and calls. A quick glimpse of the singer reveals a drab-colored, short-winged little bird with a relatively long tail that always seems to be in motion.

Four subspecies of Bell’s Vireo are recognized. The westernmost, the Least Bell’s Vireo, is federally listed as Endangered in the United States. The subspecies faces continued threats from habitat loss and brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird, whose range expansion due to human alteration of the landscape has put it in conflict with other native species.

Also known as: Greenlet, Prairie Greenlet

Learn more about the Bell’s Vireo at https://abcbirds.org/bird/bells-vireo/