Blue-headed Vireo - Habitat and Distribution

Habitat and Distribution

Native to North America, the Blue-headed Vireo enjoys a large breeding range that expands over an immense area of Canada and northern United States. The breeding range of V.s. solitarius expands from north eastern British Columbia across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec and down to southern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. V.s. alticola has a distinct breeding range that includes western Maryland and then south, mainly in the Appalachian Mountains, to northern Georgia. At the end of the breeding season, the Blue-headed Vireo will migrate south to its overwintering area. V.s. solitarius has the longest migration of the two sub-species and inhabits an overwintering area that includes east and south Mexico to northern Central America. V.s. alticola migrates across a shorter distance to an area that expands from south-eastern Virginia to Texas.

During breeding, the Vireos prefer temperate forests that are found at higher elevations where it is cooler. Evergreen forests with spruce, fir, hemlock and pine with deciduous growth such as alder shrubs, willow shrubs, poplar, birch or maple trees are the habitat of choice for the small bird. During the winter, Vireos inhabit woods of pines, hardwoods and mixed trees. They are also found in coastal and flood plain swamps as well as low shrub thickets.

Year round, even during the breeding season, population density is somewhat low and spread out. Overwintering population densities are usually found to be lower than in the breeding season. The density of the population ultimately depends on the type of forest being inhabited.

During migration, Blue-headed vireos are often found to flock with groups of different sparrow species but never with members of its own species.