RED-EYED VIREO Vireo olivaceus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Accepted: 4 (80%)	Treated in Appendix H: no
Not accepted: 1	CBRC review: records from 1972 through 19741
Not submitted/reviewed: NA	Color image: none

This large vireo breeds from the Northwest Territories, southeastern Alaska (probably), and northern British Columbia south to northwestern Oregon and east to southern Newfoundland. Its southern breeding limit in North America stretches from central Texas east to northern Florida. Migration is primarily east of the Rocky Mts. through eastern Mexico to wintering grounds in northern South America. Migrants occur rarely but regularly along the Pacific coast, including the Baja California Peninsula and Mexican mainland. The species is found almost annually in the British Isles and is known from Greenland, Iceland, continental Europe, and the Azores (Alfrey 2006). The northerly breeding olivaceus group discussed here is sometimes accorded species status alongside South America’s chivi group (but see Johnson and Zink 1985).

California’s first Red-eyed Vireo was a male collected on 6 October 1914 in San Diego, San Diego County (Huey 1915, SDNHM 33177). Only five records were reviewed by the CBRC. The Red-eyed Vireo is now known as a rare, regular fall (late August through October) and spring (mid May through June) vagrant to California (McCaskie et al. 1979, Garrett and Dunn 1981, Richardson et al. 2003). Remarkably early was one in Irvine, Orange County, 30 April 2005 (NAB 59:495). The species is very rare from July through mid August, but since the 1980s one to five territorial birds have been found almost annually along the Kern River in Kern County (fide R. A. Barnes), with at least one confirmed nesting record there on 21 June 1995 (FN 49:982). No Red-eyed Vireo has ever been properly documented in California during the winter months.

¹On the review list 1972–1973