I had a vireo in Columbia today that most closely matches a Hutton's vireo.
Any help or other suggestions would be appreciated!

It was definitely a vireo, with a thick bill, but a small vireo. From in
front, the impression was a very plain bird, with greyish-green on the top
of the head, buffy to white below. There was an incomplete eye-ring, but the
incomplete parts were at the top and the bottom of the eye so that the white
of the eye-ring only appeared at the front and the back of the eye, almost
triangles of white. There was one bold white wing bar. Color from the side
was grayish-green on top, more gray than green, and buffy to white below.
Really plain. The most notable thing about the bird was its behavior, which
was kinglet-like. As it foraged amongst the leaves of the bush, it appeared
to shiver its wings much like a kinglet does. Had it not been for the bill
and for its slightly larger size, I would have called it a kinglet.

All the sources I've looked at say it is a Hutton's vireo. I did not notice
(or look for) a hook on the bill, nor did I look at its legs.

Are there any other possibilities? Are there any other vireos that so mimic
a kinglet?

I saw it in the northeast corner of the intersection between Rt. 29 and
Broken Land Parkway, south of Little Paxtuxent River. That area traps
migrants, but they don't stay long -- too much traffic noise. I will check
again in the morning.

--John McKitterick
Columbia, MD

############################

To unsubscribe from the MDOSPREY list:
write to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
or click the following link:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MDOSPREY&A=1