Red-eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceus
Vireonidae
The most persistent summer singer in the eastern North American forest. Red-eyed Vireos have been recorded singing 20,000+ times in a single day — every 3 seconds through July. Small, olive-and-white, with a bold face pattern and the diagnostic ruby-red eye. Almost always heard before seen; heard constantly.
Arrives in May; departs September for tropical South American wintering grounds.
How to spot one.
5 inches, sleek warbler-like build
Olive-green back, clean white underparts
Distinctive face pattern: gray cap, black eye-line, white eyebrow
Ruby-red eye (juveniles have brown eyes)
Usually high in the tree canopy
What it sounds like.
Endless short warbled phrases with a slight pause between each, in a rising-and-falling cadence — described as 'Here I am! Where are you? Up here! In the tree!' Sings continuously through midday when most songbirds go quiet.
How it lives.
Canopy forager — gleans caterpillars and small insects from the underside of leaves. Nests low in shrubs and saplings (unusual for a canopy bird). Hovers briefly to pluck prey.
The spec sheet.
- Status
- Summer breeder
- Size
- 4.7–5.1 inches
- Present in NJ
- May – September
- Native to NJ
- Yes
- Conservation status
- stable
- Family
- Vireonidae
What it eats.
Diet often shifts dramatically between breeding season and the rest of the year — especially for insectivorous birds that pivot to native berries in fall and winter.
Summer / breeding season
Caterpillars — dominant summer food
Beetles, moths, aphids, small wasps
Spiders
Some berries late in season
Fall / winter
Migrates to Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil
Winter diet: primarily fruit — figs, native tropical berries
What it needs.
Native plants that feed this bird or provide shelter. Names in hydrangea link to the plant’s Field Guide entry.
Mature deciduous forest
Cover / habitat
Native oaks
Larval host tree (feeds caterpillars)
Wild black cherry
Larval host tree (feeds caterpillars)
Fruit / berry source
Native dogwoods, sassafras
Fruit / berry source
Audubon Field Guide · All About Birds (Cornell) · NJ Conservation Foundation
Other summer breeders.
- HmNative · NJ
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
The bird that made every American nature writer sound sentimental. The Wood Thrush's flute-like song is the sound of an intact eastern hardwood forest…
- IgNative · NJ
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
The vivid orange-and-black songbird that weaves an intricate pouch nest hanging from a high branch. Baltimore Orioles are one of the great NJ backyard…
- PoNative · NJ
Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
The moment you see a male Scarlet Tanager for the first time you understand why people bird. Flame-red body, jet-black wings and tail — the most vivid…