White-eyed Vireo

About the White-eyed Vireo

A small, spunky songbird of dense thickets, the White-eyed Vireo is olive-green above and whitish below with buttery-yellow spectacles, yellow-washed flanks, and - in adults - a striking pale white eye that gives it its name. More often heard than seen, it stays low in the tangles.

Its song is unmistakable and full of attitude: a sharp, snappy jumble delivered explosively from cover, often ending with an emphatic note. White-eyed Vireos glean insects and spiders from dense brush and take berries in season, working the shadowy interior of thickets and woodland edges.

In Texas they are common breeders across the eastern and central parts of the state, arriving in spring to brushy edges, overgrown fields, and streamside tangles, with some lingering along the coast in winter.

A note from behind the lens: patience at the edge of a thicket is the key - let the singing bird work its way up to an open twig. Soft, even light suits the subtle greens and yellows, and that pale eye is the detail worth waiting for.