Bell's Vireo

Bell's Vireo

Vireo bellii

Silhouette: Caleb Gordon · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San Diego

In 3 days ~10%

740 Verified sightings at San Diego
4,297 In all 14 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Bell's Vireo

Bell's vireo (Vireo bellii) is a songbird that migrates between a breeding range in Western North America and a winter range in Central America. It is dull olive-gray above and whitish below. It has a faint white eye ring and faint wing bars.

This bird was named by Audubon for John Graham Bell, who accompanied him on his trip up the Missouri River in the 1840s. The least Bell's vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) is an endangered subspecies in Southern California. Consideration of Bell's vireo has been a factor in several land development projects, to protect least Bell's vireo habitat. The decline of the least Bell's vireo is mostly due to a loss of riparian habitat.

Measurements: Length: 4.5–4.9 in (11.5–12.5 cm) Weight: 0.3–0.3 oz (7.4–9.8 g) Wingspan: 6.7–7.5 in (17–19 cm) Least Bell's vireo, V.b. pusillus (southern California) Arizona Bell's vireo, V.b. arizonae (southwestern United States, northern Mexico)

V.b. medius (southwestern Texas, Mexico) V.b. belli (central and midwestern United States to central Mexico) In its breeding range, Bell's vireo often uses dense shrubbery in riparian areas or otherwise near water. Willow... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song1:30

United States · 2023

© Richard E. Webster · XC827553 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:24

United States · 2022

© Bobby Wilcox · XC717636 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:32

Mexico · 2021

© Manuel Grosselet · XC623943 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
2 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Cabo Pulmo National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
5 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
8 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
9 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
10 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
11 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
12 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
13 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
14 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
2 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
<5%
3 San Diego 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Mesa 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Phoenix 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Bell's Vireo in San Diego?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bell's Vireo sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 740 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 191st most-seen of the 386 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Bell's Vireo in San Diego?

April and June

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bell's Vireo in San Diego on a given day, against under 5% in May and July–March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Bell's Vireo?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bell's Vireo sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is San Diego the best place to see a Bell's Vireo?

Among the best

Of the 12 cities where we can rate Bell's Vireo sightings, San Diego ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Los Angeles (United States, under 5%) and Monterrey (México, under 5%).

Where does the Bell's Vireo sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Bell's Vireo is recorded against all the birds logged in San Diego (740 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to San Diego