Red-Eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceus

The Red-Eyed Vireo breeds extensively across Canada and eastern North America and migrates to South America’s Amazon basin in winter.
Today’s science suggests two subspecies of Red-Eyed Vireo in North America:
- V. o. olivaceus breeds across most of Canada.
- V. o. caniviridis breeds in western USA’s Great Basin and the northwest, including Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
There is a population of Red-Eyed Vireos that remains as residents in South America. I believe this subspecies was V. o. chivi, which is now reclassified as its own species, the Chivi Vireo (Vireo chivi), and has nine subspecies of its own.
Red-Eyed Vireos are prolific singers. One observer noted a bird that sang 22,197 songs over a 14 hour period, pausing only four hours during the day. Some listeners find these songs monotonous, which is typical of many vireos. Their songs are a blend of phrases ending with up-slurs followed by a phrase with a down-slur, and reminds us of an endless conversation with questions, followed by answers.
My introduction to the Red-Eyed Vireo occurred at Lesser Slave Lake in Alberta (Canada) while I was heading to Alaska in 2005. I didn’t meet this bird again until I was in south Texas during spring migration in 2021.

Red-eyed Vireo(Vireo olivaceus) |
Description: Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:07 7:44 |
Location:
Lesser Slave Lake |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/6.7, 1/180 |
File Name: JCD3791RedEyedVireo |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Red-eyed Vireo(Vireo olivaceus) |
Description: Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:07 16:46 |
Location:
Lesser Slave Lake |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/13.0, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD3831RedEyedVireo |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Red-Eyed Vireo(Vireo olivaceus) |
Description: I first met this bird in Canada in 2005, but I think this encounter produced better images. I wasn’t counting on this meeting. Bird activity on Tuesday’s visit to South Padre Island was slightly less hectic than it was on the weekend, but it gave me some great bird encounters, including two birds brand new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:20 18:17 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: RedEyedVireo_D5X0502SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Red-Eyed Vireo(Vireo olivaceus) |
Description: I first met this bird in Canada in 2005, but I think this encounter produced better images. I wasn’t counting on this meeting. Bird activity on Tuesday’s visit to South Padre Island was slightly less hectic than it was on the weekend, but it gave me some great bird encounters, including two birds brand new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:20 18:13 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: RedEyedVireo_D5X0481SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Red-Eyed Vireo(Vireo olivaceus) |
Description: I first met this bird in Canada in 2005, but I think this encounter produced better images. I wasn’t counting on this meeting. Bird activity on Tuesday’s visit to South Padre Island was slightly less hectic than it was on the weekend, but it gave me some great bird encounters, including two birds brand new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:20 18:01 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: RedEyedVireo_D5X0427SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Red-Eyed Vireo(Vireo olivaceus) |
Description: I first met this bird in Canada in 2005, but I think this encounter produced better images. I wasn’t counting on this meeting. Bird activity on Tuesday’s visit to South Padre Island was slightly less hectic than it was on the weekend, but it gave me some great bird encounters, including two birds brand new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:20 18:01 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: RedEyedVireo_D5X0421SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Red-Eyed Vireo(Vireo olivaceus) |
Description: I first met this bird in Canada in 2005, but I think this encounter produced better images. I wasn’t counting on this meeting. Bird activity on Tuesday’s visit to South Padre Island was slightly less hectic than it was on the weekend, but it gave me some great bird encounters, including two birds brand new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:20 18:00 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: RedEyedVireo_D5X0416SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Red-Eyed Vireo(Vireo olivaceus) |
Description: These poor images were all this vireo would offer me. Sunday was a day when the birds and then birders increased their respective presence on South Padre Island. Both are to be expected as spring migration steps up the bird numbers moving through on their way north. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:11 11:04 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: RedEyedVireo_D5X4232-SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |

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