shrike-vireo

shrike-vireo, (genus Vireolanius), any of about four species of tropical American songbirds, characterized by a stout, slightly hooked bill (like the true shrikes in the family Laniidae) but with anatomical features that ally them with the vireos (family Vireonidae; order Passeriformes). Shrike-vireos were previously considered a distinct family, Vireolaniidae, but are usually included in the vireos.

The slaty-capped shrike-vireo (Vireolanius leucotis) of northern South America is a heavily built forest bird with an olive green back and a slaty gray head punctuated with yellow. Much more subdued in colouring, the chestnut-sided shrike-vireo (V. melitophrys) is greenish brown above and white below, with a gray head and both black and yellow stripes running through the eye. The shrike-vireos range in length from 13 to 17.5 cm (5.1 to 7 inches). They inhabit forests from southern Mexico to central Brazil and Peru.