Vireo caribaeus
The San Andres Vireo (Vireo caribaeus) is a small, vibrant songbird, a true jewel endemic to the unique island ecosystem of San Andrés, Colombia. Measuring approximately 12 cm (4.7 inches) in length and weighing a mere 8-10 grams (0.28-0.35 oz), it sports a distinctive olive-green back and a bright, almost luminous yellow underbelly. Key field marks include two prominent whitish wing-bars, a pale lore, and a broken white eye-ring bisected by a dusky line through the eye, giving it a perpetual...
This vireo thrives in various low-elevation coastal habitats including mangrove forests, dry scrub, woodland edges, and even cultivated areas and gardens.
Primarily insectivorous, the San Andres Vireo feeds on a variety of insects and other small invertebrates gleaned from foliage and branches, occasionally supplementing with small fruits.
Active and diurnal, the San Andres Vireo is primarily an insectivorous gleaner, meticulously searching leaves and small branches for prey, occasionally making aerial sallies to catch flying insects. Males are highly territorial, defending their breeding grounds with persistent vocalizations throu...
The San Andres Vireo is strictly endemic to San Andrés Island, a Colombian territory situated in the southwestern Caribbean Sea, approximately 775 km (482 miles) northwest of mainland Colombia and east of Nicaragua. Its entire known breeding and year-round range is confined to this relatively sma...
Near Threatened
- The San Andres Vireo is one of the few bird species found exclusively on a single Caribbean island, San Andrés, Colombia. - Despite its small size, its persistent and varied song is a prominent sound in the island's thickets. - It was once considered a subspecies of the Mangrove Vireo (*Vireo p...