Brown-capped Vireo

Identification

The brown-capped vireo is a small passerine measuring 11.5 to 12.5 cm in length and weighing approximately 12 to 13.5 grams. The nominate subspecies features an olive-brown crown, distinctive white supercilium, dusky lores, and a dusky streak behind the eye with grayish-white ear coverts. The upperparts, wings, and tail are grayish olive to brownish olive-green, with yellow edges on the wing coverts, while the throat and upper breast are grayish-white and the remaining underparts pale yellow. All subspecies share a brown iris, dark brown to black maxilla, and horn or whitish mandible with a blue-gray streak.

Subspecific variation is considerable across the species' range. Some populations display browner, less olive crowns, while others show more blackish-brown or sooty plumage. The birds range from overall brighter individuals with greenish backs to darker forms with white throats. Males and females are indistinguishable in plumage.