Dominica Botanic Gardens Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies

Source: Dominica’s Birds Photo: Richard Stern Photo: Martin Reid Photo: Dan Sudia

Description: Species endemic to Caribbean; 15-16.5 cm (5.75-6.5 in) long; plumage muted olive-gray upperparts and grayish white underparts, with yellowish white on flanks and under tail; crown is gray; bill black, straight, sturdy and slightly hooked; eyes red, with dark eyeline and whitish eyebrow stripe; has black “whisker” marking on sides of neck by which it is best identified; legs blue-grey; juveniles have reddish brown eyes; inhabits open deciduous woodland and cultivation; found variously throughout Gardens but more common at rear of Economic Crops section; feeds on berries and insects, sometimes while hovering; click here to listen to its call (compliments of 3-Rivers Eco-Lodge). References: Arlington James, Stephen Durand and Bertrand Jno.Baptiste. Dominica’s Birds. Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, Dominica, 2005 G.A. Gough, J.R. Sauer, M. Iliff. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD. 1998. (mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov) Wikipedia. Black-whiskered Vireo. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 7 Nov. 2006 (wikipedia.org)