Gray Vireo

Vireo vicinior

The Gray Vireo’s favorite breeding habitat is dry brush on the slopes of some of the hottest areas in the southwestern USA’s mountains. Other than a few scattered pockets in California and Texas, their primary breeding range is southern Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. In winter, they migrate a short distance into northwestern Mexico and southern Baja California. In Texas, the region known as Big Bend hosts a resident population of Gray Vireos. I once met a winter bird there, but in my efforts, I captured only a couple of mediocre images.

Science does not recognize any subspecies of Gray Vireo (i.e. they are monotypic).

I consider this species a nemesis bird. While I have three images collected in my gallery, I consider them substandard. One image is from Santa Rosa Mountain in southern California’s Riverside County, and I captured the others in Big Bend National Park. I hope one day to enjoy better encounters.