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 →
Recent sightings of Lesser Greenlet in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve
Mangrove Vireo
Vireo pallens
White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
Rufous-browed Peppershrike
Cyclarhis gujanensis
Yellow-throated Vireo
Vireo flavifrons
Yucatán Vireo
Vireo magister
Red-eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceus
Yellow-green Vireo
Vireo flavoviridis
Philadelphia Vireo
Vireo philadelphicus
Yellow Warbler
Setophaga petechia
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Tropical Mockingbird
Mimus gilvus
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.