Hutton's vireo is a small songbird. It is approximately 5 inches (12–13 cm) in length, dull olive-gray above and below. It has a faint white eye ring and faint white wing bars. It closely resembles a ruby-crowned kinglet, but has a thicker bill, blue-gray legs, and is slightly larger in size. Its most common song is a repeated chu-wee, or a chew, but will have other variations. Its call is a mewing chatter.
Region
Western North America
Typical Environment
Found from southern British Columbia through the Pacific states of the United States into Baja California, with additional populations in oak and mixed evergreen woodlands of the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. It favors live oak, mixed oak–conifer forests, and evergreen riparian corridors. The species is typically resident year-round within its range, though some local elevational movements occur. It is most common in mature, scrubby, or canyon woodlands where dense foliage allows for gleaning insects.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2400 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Hutton's vireo is a small, drab songbird of western North America that closely resembles a ruby-crowned kinglet but has a thicker, slightly hooked bill and blue-gray legs. Its persistent, rhythmic chu-wee song can carry through oak woodlands for long periods, making it easier to hear than to see. It often joins mixed-species flocks outside the breeding season and methodically gleans insects from foliage.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with frequent short hops through foliage
Social Behavior
Forms monogamous pairs during the breeding season and defends small territories in suitable woodland. The nest is a delicate hanging cup suspended in a fork, often in oak or other evergreen trees. Outside breeding, it may join mixed-species foraging flocks but generally forages quietly in pairs or alone.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A persistent, evenly spaced chu-wee or chew phrase repeated many times, often for minutes on end. Calls include a mewing chatter and soft contact notes, reminiscent of a ruby-crowned kinglet but slower and more measured.
Plumage
Dull olive-gray above and below with a faintly paler throat and underparts; subtle but distinct pale wing bars and a broken, thin eye ring.
Diet
Primarily small insects and spiders gleaned from leaves, twigs, and needles. It methodically searches foliage, often hanging or hovering briefly to pick prey from the undersides of leaves. In cooler months it may take small berries or other arthropods when insects are scarce.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in the mid to upper canopy of oak and mixed evergreen forests, as well as riparian woodlands and dense scrub. Often forages along branch tips and within dense clusters of leaves where prey is concealed.
