Blue-headed Vireo
Vireo solitarius · Songbirds
Blue-headed Vireo
Green-Wood Cemetery, 25 April 2026
A Blue-headed Vireo working a branch at Green-Wood in April, the first vireo of the spring. It breeds in the mixed forests of the Northeast and Canada, and it comes through Brooklyn a fortnight ahead of the rest of its family.
Bold white "spectacles" broken at the top of a blue-grey head are the giveaway, along with two crisp white wing bars against olive upperparts. Vireos move more deliberately than warblers, working a branch methodically rather than flitting, which makes them easier to get a clean look at even when they are less brightly marked.
Blue-headed Vireo
Central Park, 26 October 2025
A Blue-headed Vireo in Central Park in late October, one of the last vireos to leave in autumn. It breeds in the mixed forests of the Northeast and Canada and winters in the southern states, hardy enough to tolerate colder weather than most of its relatives.
Bold white "spectacles" ringing the eye and a blue-grey hood sharply set off from an olive back. Vireos are slow, deliberate birds next to warblers, and this one was working the same branch for a full minute.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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