Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Black-capped Vireo
Vireo atricapilla
Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of North America.
Found across 18 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) is a member of the Vireonidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and North America. Adults weigh 9 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Vireonidae Vireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblers
- Genus Vireo
- Species atricapilla
Quick facts
- Weight
- 9 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Vireonidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Black-capped Vireo is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Black-capped Vireo is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) belongs to the Vireonidae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean and North America. Its distribution covers NA, MA sc USA and Mexico.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 9 g, with a wing length of about 5.5 cm and a tail of around 4.3 cm.
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 315,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Black-capped Vireo?
The Black-capped Vireo is a very small bird that weighs around 9 g.
Where does the Black-capped Vireo live?
The Black-capped Vireo is found across Central America & Caribbean and North America with a range covering NA, MA sc USA and Mexico, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Black-capped Vireo belong to?
The Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) belongs to the Vireonidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Black-capped Vireo eat?
The Black-capped Vireo is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Black-capped Vireo migrate?
The Black-capped Vireo is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Black-capped Vireo endangered?
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
What sound does the Black-capped Vireo make?
1 real field recording of the Black-capped Vireo — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Black-capped Vireo's range?
The Black-capped Vireo has a mapped global range of about 315,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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