Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

 

Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons)

Yellow-throated Vireo [lateral view of adult]: Photograph Credit: Rickey Shive; Metcalfe County, Kentucky; 8 September 2019.

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Abundance: Uncommon early spring, summer, and fall; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); data from Regional bird-monitoring efforts indicate the population breeding in the Region is probably stable (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Summer Resident; specimen (13 June 1938; Rocky Branch, Wayne County, Kentucky; W. M. Perrygo; Wetmore 1940); photograph: see above.

Regional High Count and SBC/SBB High Count: 66 (10 May 2008; Putnam County, Tennessee [SBC]; m. ob.); FBC/FBB High Count: 29 (16 September 2006; Putnam County, Tennessee [FBC]; m. ob.).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Spring: x (

    Late Fall: x (

    Note: Spring arrival usually widespread by 15 April; fall departure largely complete by 10 October.  Regional dates of earliest reported spring arrival and latest reported fall departure for the years 20022011 follow:

Year Early Spring Arrival Late Fall Departure
2002 4 April 2 October
2003 4 April 13 October
2004 10 April 11 October
2005 9 April --
2006 1 April 26 September
2007 14 April 17 October
2008 6 April --
2009 10 April --
2010 5 April --
2011 4 April

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent); confirmation of breeding was obtained during the 1986–1991 atlas project in 7 of 16 counties in the Tennessee portion of the Region (Nicholson 1997); no confirmation was obtained during the 1985–1991 atlas project in any of  the10 counties in the Kentucky portion of the Region (Palmer-Ball 1996); confirmation was additionally obtained during the 2009 UCR Foray in Jackson County, Tennessee and during the 2011 UCR Foray in Overton County, Tennessee. Nests difficult to find, as is true for most vireos.

Habitat: mature woodlands of many types suit this vireo, which is perhaps somewhat more abundant in deciduous forests than in mixed or coniferous forests.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 14  (of 125 possible) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 34 (of 206 possible) check-lists during 2004, providing YardWatch frequency classifications of Uncommon and Fairly Common, respectively; the frequency  classification for 2003 is consistent with the overall abundance classification of this vireo across the Region, while the frequency classification for 2004 indicates that it was a bit more present in Regional yards and neighborhoods that year than across the Region generally.

Foray Results: A summary of data from UCR Forays follows (to view a map displaying foray data for a county or a sub-Region for this species, click on the name of an underlined county or state below):

County Dates when Foray Conducted Total Blocks
in County *
Total Blocks in which
Yellow-throated Vireo
Recorded
Total Individuals
Recorded
         
Adair 816 June 2014 46 25 53
Barren 1–6 June 2013 54 19 34
Clinton 12–14 June 2009 24 16 34
Cumberland 1620 June 2014 35 28 85
McCreary 30 May5 Jun 2011 51 45 139
Metcalfe 812 June 2013 32 22 47
Monroe 1–12 June 2015 35 22 46
Pulaski 511 June 2010 72 49 79
Russell 1316, 2629 June 2012 31 20 44
Wayne 28 May3 June 2012 54 39 100
         
Kentucky   434 (408) 285 (65.7%) 661
         
Bledsoe 1824 June 2012 48 36 56
Clay 12–15 June 2010 30 26 67
Cumberland 29 May4 June 2010 75 63 116
DeKalb 2326 May 2008 40 29 66
Fentress 1117 June 2012 55 36 95
Jackson 29 May1 Jun 2009 40 32 61
Macon 1722 June 2013 32 21 35
Morgan 1–8 June 2014 58 40 111
Overton 2329 May 2011 47 33 68
Pickett 2225 May 2009 24 20 41
Putnam 6–12 June 2011 46 34 58
Scott 924 June 2016 62 41 108
Smith 1525 June 2015 37 27 63
Van Buren 13–15 June 2011 33 24 51
Warren 1–10 June 2016 47 22 28
White 1–6 June 2015 50 37 74
         
Tennessee   724 (651) 521 (72.0%) 1098
         
Region   1158 (c. 1059) 806 (69.6%) 1759

* Because some foray blocks fall into two or three counties, the total of blocks in the Kentucky or Tennessee portions of the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the counties of each portion of the Region; similarly, because some blocks fall into both states, the total of blocks for the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the two states.

RemarksSong resembles the song of Blue-headed Vireo with which this species might be confused; overlap with song of Red-eyed Vireo less likely, but confusion with that species also possible, especially very early in the breeding season when singers of these species have long been absent from the Regional scene.

    During bird-counting efforts of various sorts occurring when these species are singing, the ratio of Red-eyed Vireos to Yellow-throated Vireos is likely to fall between 5:1 and 10:1.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Barren Metcalfe Adair Russell Pulaski
Monroe Cumberland Clinton Wayne McCreary
Macon Clay Pickett Fentress Scott
Smith Jackson Overton Putnam Morgan
DeKalb White Cumberland
Warren Van Buren Bledsoe

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Burgess Falls SP, Putnam/White Counties, TN Barren River Lake SP, Barren County, KY
Cumberland Mountain SP, Cumberland County, TN General Burnside Island SP, Pulaski County, KY
Edgar Evins SP, DeKalb County, TN  
Fall Creek Falls SP, Bledsoe/Van Buren Counties, TN Pulaski County Park, Pulaski County, KY
Frozen Head SNA, Morgan County, TN Waitsboro Recreation Area, Pulaski County, KY
Rock Island SP, Warren/White Counties, TN  
Standing Stone SP, Overton County, TN Big South Fork NRRA, KY and TN
   
Cane Creek Park, Putnam County, TN  
Roaring River Recreation Area, Jackson County, TN  

Literature Cited