Except for the Catbird, the most talkative bird that we know is the
Red-eyed Vireo. He is first to be seen in late April. When October has
come, the Red-eye travels Southward. All through the warm days of spring
and summer, this persistent little bird sings and sings. Mr. Wilson
Flagg has called him "The Preacher Bird." This title is indeed well
earned for he seems to say, over and over--"You see me--I see you--do
you hear me? Do you believe me?"
Nest: The pendant nest of the Red-eyed Vireo hangs from a forked branch.
It is made of small bits of dead wood, plant down, paper and
strips of thin bark all very neatly interwoven to form a tiny bird
basket. The eggs, three to four in number, are of a white color
with a few specks of brown or umber upon the larger end.
Frequently the Cowbird leaves her egg in this little bird's nest.
This poem by Faith C. Lee, in _Bird-Lore_, gives one person's
opinion of the Cowbird.
_Red-Eyed Vireo_
"When overhead you hear a bird
Who talks, or rather chatters,
Of all the latest woodland news,
And other trivial matters,
Who is so kind, so very kind,
She never can say no.
And so the nasty Cowbird
Drops an egg among her row
Of neat white eggs. Behold her then,
The Red-eyed Vireo!"
Markings: The trim little crown of the Red-eyed Vireo is of gray color,
bordered upon either side by a neat little band of black. The eye
of the bird is brick-red with a white line directly above.
Food: Although this bird is not a member of the family of Warblers, his
habits are somewhat similar. Insect food is found in the trees,
shrubs, and bushes.
Mabel Osgood Wright has referred to the Red-eyed Vireo as a bird of the
mid-day. In her children's poem of nine stanzas, entitled "The Birds and
the Hours," she says:
[Illustration: _The Red-eyed Vireo--6 inches_]
_Noon_
"Who is the Bird of the middle day?
The green-winged, red-eyed Vireo gay,
Who talks and preaches, yet keeps an eye
On every stranger who passes by."
The Red-eye has been known to become so tame that persons have stroked a
bird upon the back as she sat upon the nest.