THIS IS FOR THE BIRDS: WHITE-EYED VIREO

If you live in the Bandera area, our bird column now regularly appears in the Bandera County Courier. Our column on White-eyed Vireo appeared in this week's paper.

With its olive-green upperparts, yellow sides and flanks, the White-eyed Vireo is often visibly lost in the deciduous scrub and thickets of the abandoned and overgrown cultivated land it favors. But, if you’re lucky enough to spot the notoriously secretive White-eyed Vireo, the first characteristic you may notice is its unique white eyes surrounded by yellow spectacles. Indeed, this small migratory songbird is one of only two passerine or “perching” birds in the United States with white eyes. More often identified by the male’s powerful, intricate song than for its plumage, the most opportune time to see a White-Eyed Vireo is during breeding season, from April to July in Texas, when the males may be found high in trees loudly singing for a mate. The vireo’s cup-shaped nests are found attached to tree branches, held together by spider webbing and furtively festooned with lichens, moss, or leaves. Although the small songbirds are unfortunately favored by the parasitizing Brown-headed Cowbirds, with some research indicating up to half of all White-eyed Vireo nests being parasitized, their population appears stable at this time. The male and female share incubation duties, allowing the other time to forage for insects, seeds, and berries. Interestingly, despite its shy nature, the 400,000 year old wing bone of a White-eyed Vireo is famously known for being the only fossil record in North America for the entire Vireonidae family.

Plateau Land & Wildlife Management provides services and products for rural landowners throughout the Texas Hill Country and beyond. For more information, visit www.PlateauWildlife.com. 

 Photo of White-eyed Vireo by Lee Kothmann.