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First record of interspecific breeding of Least Bell's Vireo and White-eyed Vireo

November 20, 2011

We provide the first known documentation of a male Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) breeding with a female White-eyed Vireo (V. griseus) and the first report of a White-eyed Vireo breeding in California at the San Luis Rey River, Oceanside, San Diego County. We discovered the pair building a nest on 12 May 2010. The female laid four eggs, and the pair successfully raised and fledged four nestlings. We collected DNA samples from each nestling and the female during the nestling stage and banded them with a numbered federal leg band for future identification. We obtained detailed nest measurements after fledging and monitored the territory for further nesting attempts. No additional nesting attempts were detected.

Publication Year 2011
Title First record of interspecific breeding of Least Bell's Vireo and White-eyed Vireo
DOI 10.1676/10-184.1
Authors Melissa A. Blundell, Barbara E. Kus
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Wilson Journal of Ornithology
Index ID 70005830
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Western Ecological Research Center