Lesser Greenlet
Hylophilus decurtatus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyVireonidae (Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis)
- GenusHylophilus (Scrub Greenlets)
- SpeciesHylophilus decurtatus (Lesser Greenlet)
About the Lesser Greenlet
The lesser greenlet (Pachysylvia decurtata) is a small passerine bird in the family Vireonidae, the vireos, greenlets, and shrike-babblers. It is found in Mexico, every Central American country, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The lesser greenlet was originally described in 1838 as Sylvicola decurtata. It later was renamed Hylophilus decurtatus and later still moved to its present genus Pachysylvia and its specific epithet returned to decurtata to match the feminine gender of the genus.
The lesser greenlet's further taxonomy is unsettled. The IOC, AviList, and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World assign it these six subspecies: P. d. brevipennis (Giraud Jr, 1851) P. d. dickermani (Parkes, 1991)
P. d. phillipsi (Parkes, 1991) P. d. decurtata (Bonaparte, 1838) P. d. darienensis Griscom, 1927 P. d. minor (Berlepsch & Taczanowski, 1884) However, the Clements taxonomy does not recognize P. d. brevipennis, P. d. dickermani, and P. d. phillipsi but includes them within the nominate P. d. decurtata.
Subspecies P. d. minor was for a time treated as a separate species, the gray-headed greenlet, but regained its present subspecies status because... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Darién National Park
Golden-fronted Greenlet
Hylophilus aurantiifrons
Tawny-crowned Greenlet
Hylophilus ochraceiceps
Scrub Greenlet
Hylophilus flavipes
Red-eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceus
Yellow-green Vireo
Vireo flavoviridis
Yellow-throated Vireo
Vireo flavifrons
Philadelphia Vireo
Vireo philadelphicus
Yellow-browed Shrike-Vireo
Vireolanius eximius
Rufous-browed Peppershrike
Cyclarhis gujanensis
Green Shrike-Vireo
Vireolanius pulchellus
Brown-capped Vireo
Vireo leucophrys
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Greenlet in Darién National Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Greenlet sighting in Darién National Park, based on 503 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Lesser Greenlet in Darién National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Lesser Greenlet in Darién National Park in our monthly data.