shrike-vireo

▪ bird

 any of four species of tropical American songbirds (songbird), characterized by a stout, slightly hooked bill (like the true shrikes (shrike) in the family Laniidae) but with anatomical features that ally them with the vireos (vireo) (family Vireonidae). Shrike-vireos are usually considered a distinct family, Vireolaniidae (order Passeriformes (passeriform)), but some authorities include them in the vireos.

      The slaty-capped shrike-vireo (Vireolanius leucotis) of northern South America is a heavily built forest bird with an olive green back and a slaty gray head punctuated with yellow. Much more subdued in colouring, the chestnut-sided shrike-vireo (V. melitophrys) is greenish brown above and white below, with a gray head and both black and yellow stripes running through the eye. The shrike-vireos range in length from 13 to 17.5 cm (5.1 to 7 inches). They inhabit forests from southern Mexico to central Brazil and Peru.

Sy Montgomery

 

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