Blue-Headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius)

County List:

Rule:

Forested or Mixed Forested/Nonforested Landscapes

      (Spruce/Fir (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Hemlock (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (White Pine (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Upland Mixed (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
   containing:
      Stand/Gap Openings

Habitat List:

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Literature:

Habitat: Over much of its range, the Solitary Vireo is associated with coniferous and mixed coniferous-deciduous woodlands. Nearly half (13 of 28) the observations for the Atlas Habitat Survey were in mixed woods containing northern hardwoods with hemlock, pine, or fir. Another 12 observations were in coniferous forest. In the western Lower Peninsula and parts of the Upper Peninsula, mesic forests were generally preferred though Solitary Vireos regularly breed in dry deciduous woods. Migrants show up in a variety of scrub, thicket, and forest habitats.

Nests are well below the canopy in deciduous or coniferous shrubs or small trees. In Michigan, nests have been noted in cherry, white cedar, beech, shadbush, tamarack, and balsam fir from 1.2 to 3.7 m above the ground.

Extensive plantations of pines and other conifers planted in the 1930's are now mature and provide new breeding habitat for the Solitary Vireo and other species such as the Pine Warbler.

The future of the Solitary Vireo in Michigan will depend on the preservation of large tracts of forest in state and federal ownership. Its preference for conifers will require planting of new stands of pines or other conifers to replace those currently being harvested.

Habitat: Breeding: Coniferous or mixed woodlands especially those with openings in canopy and a dense understory. Shows preference for pine, hemlock, or spruce. Prefers mountain elevations but occurs locally in highlands.

Habitat: Mixed conifer-deciduous woods. Breeds in rather open woods, usually containing a mixture of conifers and deciduous trees. Details of habitat differ by region: those in the northeast often in moist conifer woods, those in the Rockies often in pinyon-juniper areas, those on Pacific coast often in oak woodland. Migrants occur in any kind of woodland.

Diet: Mostly insects. In summer, feeds almost entirely on insects, including caterpillars, stink bugs, beetles, wasps, bees, ants, moths, tree crickets, and many others; also spiders. Also eats some berries and small fruits, especially in winter, when they may make up more than one-fourth of diet.

Nest: Placed in horizontal fork of branch in tree, often quite low (3-12 feet above ground) but can be up to 35 feet or higher. Nest is a rather bulky open cup suspended by its rim. Nest is made of grass, strips of bark weeds, plant fibers, rootlets, lined with plant down and hair. Outside of nest may be decorated with moss, pine needles, pieces of paper. In some areas nests are often parasitized by cowbirds.