- Definition
- Definition
- Example Sentences
- Word History
- Phrases Containing
- Related Articles
- Entries Near
-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
plural vireos
: any of various small insectivorous American oscine birds (family Vireonidae, especially genus Vireo) that are chiefly olivaceous and grayish in color
Examples of vireo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At San Dieguito, that builds space for wildlife such as the light-footed Ridgway’s rail and least Bell’s vireo, two native California birds listed by the federal government as in danger of extinction.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2024
Preserving the least Bell’s vireo, of course, goes beyond the river.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2024
The project is expected to provide habitat for two endangered birds, the least Bell’s vireo and light-footed ridgeway’s rail, and offer animals access to conserved land areas for mammals such as the American badger, mountain lion, coyote, bobcat, mule deer and gray fox.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2024
The unsuspecting vireo will then raise the cowbird chicks, which grow faster than its own and outcompete the vireo nestlings for food.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
But the bird also has to contend with the brown-headed cowbird, which is known to lay its eggs in other bird’s nests, including the least bell’s vireo’s.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
Similar success has been reported by a cowbird control program at Fort Hood, Texas, which has become a retreat for the black-capped vireo.
—Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
In the early 1980s, half the vireo nests there were parasitized.
—Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Middlesex County: Several Cape May warblers at Waitt’s Mount in Malden, a lark sparrow at Danehy Park in Cambridge, a laughing gull at the Cambridge Reservoir in Waltham, and a Philadelphia vireo at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge.
—BostonGlobe.com, 2 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vireo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Latin, a small bird, from virēre to be green
First Known Use
1834, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing vireo
Dictionary Entries Near vireo
Cite this Entry
“Vireo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vireo. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Kids Definition
vireo
noun
vir·eo
ˈvir-ē-ˌō
plural vireos
: any of various small insect-eating American songbirds that are chiefly olive-green or grayish in color
More from Merriam-Webster on vireo
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about vireo
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share