Beak of the Week – Blue-headed Vireo

Blue-headed Vireos are small, colorful songbirds that can commonly be found along the Upper Texas Coast during winter and migration. Aptly named, they have steely blue-gray heads that contrast with their greenish backs and yellow sides. They are white underneath, and have bold white markings around and in front of their eyes, giving them a spectacled appearance. Their bills are short and thick, with a small hook at the tip.

These handsome vireos breed in a variety of forest types from central-south Canada east to New England and along the Appalachians, and spend the winter months from the southeastern U.S. to northern Nicaragua. They feed primarily on insects and spiders, though they will also eat some fruits. Their song is a series of short, high-pitched phrases that is similar to the song of a Red-eyed Vireo, but has longer pauses between each phrase.

Blue-headed Vireos can be seen around Houston during the fall, winter and spring. They can be found in nearly any wooded habitat, and can often be found in mixed foraging flocks alongside warblers and kinglets. They may be found in any of the Houston Audubon sanctuaries in High Island, including Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary and Boy Scout Woods Bird Sanctuary, as well as Texas Ornithological Society’s Hooks Woods Sanctuary. They can also be seen at Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary in Houston.