Tag: american bird conservancy

Western Warbling Vireo: A Newly “Discovered” Cryptic Species

This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.

The Western Warbling Vireo (Vireo swainsoni) is a quintessential species of spring and summer in the western half of North America. It was recently split from the Eastern Warbling Vireo; before 2025, the two were considered a single species: Warbling Vireo. Researchers determined that there were, in fact, two separate species, based on behavioral and genetic differences.

This rather drab bird is often hard to spot, hidden up among the leaves of tall deciduous trees, but its cheerful, energetic song is hard to miss. Males do most of the singing,

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Eastern Warbling Vireo: Summer’s Favorite Singer

This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.

The Eastern Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) is a quintessential species of spring and summer in the eastern half of North America north of the southern United States. This rather drab bird is often hard to spot, hidden up high among the leaves of tall deciduous trees, but its buoyant, easygoing song — considered by many ornithologists and naturalists to be among the most beautiful in its range — is conspicuous. Males do most of the singing, but females sing as well, an unusual trait among temperate songbirds. Also unusual is

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Rufous Hummingbird: Ready for Battle

This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.

At a tad over 3 inches long, the feisty red-and-orange Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) is a tiny warrior, readily attacking birds many times its size, as well as large insects or anything else it perceives as a threat to its territory. It dominates feeders and choice flower patches, chasing away other hummingbird species such as the Calliope Hummingbird.

The Rufous Hummingbird is the most northerly breeding member of the family Trochilidae. It nests from Oregon and Idaho north through much of British Columbia and into southern Alaska, where it is

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