An Illuminating Journey

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches

     This is an oil painting of a Blue-headed Vireo. These birds do not display plumage dimorphism, meaning there is no coloration difference between males and females, i.e. they are monomorphic. Therefore, it’s a toss up whether this particular bird as seen on Oct. 1, 2021, was a male or female. 

     An interesting discovery by Canadian ornithologist Bridget Stutchbury of Toronto’s York University found that female Blue-headed Vireos venture out from their nesting territories to mate with other males after their young fledge, all the while their first mate attends to the remainder of the youngsters’ needs. 

     In the 1936 edition of Birds of America by T. Gilbert Pearson, the author writes the following about this bird: “It does not avoid mankind but dwells near him only when he lives in its favorite forest retreats. Like some other species it has proved so confiding at times as to allow a person to stroke its back as it sat on its beautiful pensile nest.” Can you imagine stroking a wild bird in the forest, let alone one on its nest? Not in my wildest dreams could I believe that would be possible these days, especially as humans continue to pursue, whether intentional or not, their separation from nature.

References

Pearson, T. G. 1., & Fuertes, L. A. (1936). Birds of America. Garden City, N.Y., Garden City Publishing Co., Inc.

The Forgotten Female Now a Focus of Study. (2019, Summer). Living Bird, 38(1), 41.