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.

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: