Bell's Vireo Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBell's Vireo
Adult (Eastern)
Small songbird with a bill larger than a warbler's but fairly small for a vireo. Brownish-gray overall with two pale wingbars, the upper one less distinct than the lower one. Flanks are usually washed yellow.
© Don Danko / Macaulay LibraryOhio, June 25, 2020Adult (Least)
Small songbird with a heavier bill than a warbler. Brownish-gray overall with two whitish wingbars. "Least" subspecies (endangered) occurs in California and is the grayest form, with almost no green or yellow.
© Adam Jackson / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, April 11, 2019Adult (Eastern)
Song has been described as "the musical equivalent of a scribble"—jerky warbling phrases, the first ending on an upslur, the next on a downslur.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryMissouri, May 01, 1999Not all videos have sound
Adult (Arizona)
Small songbird with pale arcs around the eye, interrupted by dark line through eye. Brownish-gray overall with two wingbars, the lower one more prominent.
© Gordon Karre / Macaulay LibraryArizona, September 06, 2016Adult (Eastern)
Small songbird with a heavier bill than a warbler's. "Eastern" subspecies is the brightest, with greenish back, yellow flanks, and gray head with dark line through eye and broken white eyering.
© Jonathan Irons / Macaulay LibraryMaryland, April 29, 2020Adult (Arizona)
Occurs in shrubs and thickets, often fairly low. "Arizona" subspecies is mostly gray-brown with wingbars that can be indistinct. Flanks can show faint yellow.
© William Higgins / Macaulay LibraryArizona, March 17, 2017Adult (Least)
Small songbird with fairly small bill for a vireo. Grayish overall with pale arcs around the eye, broken by a dark line through the eye. Wingbars can be indistinct. Yellow wash on flanks is often faint.
© Judi Hwa / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, April 23, 2017Adult (Eastern)
Small songbird with bill thicker than a warbler's. "Eastern" subspecies can have bright yellow underparts. Pale eyering is broken by dark line through eye.
© Alex Eberts / Macaulay LibraryOhio, May 20, 2017Adult (Eastern)
Occurs in tangled shrubby and brushy areas including wetlands, regenerating woods, thickets, brushy fields, mesquite, and chaparral.
© Samuel Paul Galick / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, December 03, 2011Similar SpeciesWhite-eyed Vireo
Adult
The White-eyed Vireo has bold yellow "spectacles" instead of the Bell's Vireo's subtle incomplete eyering.
© Craig Brelsford / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, February 21, 2017Similar SpeciesWarbling Vireo
Adult
The Warbling Vireo is browner and lacks the 2 thin wingbars of Bell's Vireo. It has a stronger stripe over the eye than Bell's.
© Ryan O'Donnell / Macaulay LibraryArizona, April 25, 2017Similar SpeciesGray Vireo
Adult
The Gray Vireo has a longer tail and a heavier bill than the Bell's Vireo. It has a complete eyering, without the dark line through the eye like Bell's Vireo.
© Ryan Shaw / Macaulay LibraryArizona, August 29, 2015Similar SpeciesLucy's Warbler
Adult male
The Lucy's Warbler is more slender than the Bell's Vireo, with a sharper, slimmer bill. It lacks wingbars, has a chestnut rump (males also have a chestnut crown), and a complete eyering.
© Arlene Ripley / Macaulay LibraryArizona, May 07, 2016Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Vireonidae)
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