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 2002–2011 follow:

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):

* 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.

Remarks: Song 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.

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.

Literature Cited