Philadelphia vireo

Philadelphia vireo (Vireo philadelphicus)
Photo © Alan Murphy Photography

FEATURES
The Philadelphia vireo is about five and one-fourth inches long. It has a faint white wing bar, a white eye line and a short, dark line in front of the eye. The back, tail and wing feathers are gray-green. The feathers on the underside of the body are plain and vary from white with very pale yellow to more consistently yellow throughout.

BEHAVIORS
This species is a common migrant through Illinois. It can be seen in woodlands, where it feeds on insects and sometimes fruits. Its closest nesting location to Illinois is in northern Wisconsin. The species winters in Mexico and Central America. Spring migrants begin reaching Illinois in late April. Fall migrants start appearing in August.

​Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Vireonidae