Lesser Greenlet
Hylophilus decurtatus
- 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 Tikal National Park
Tawny-crowned Greenlet
Hylophilus ochraceiceps
White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
Yellow-throated Vireo
Vireo flavifrons
Mangrove Vireo
Vireo pallens
Red-eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceus
Yellow-green Vireo
Vireo flavoviridis
Philadelphia Vireo
Vireo philadelphicus
Green Shrike-Vireo
Vireolanius pulchellus
Blue-headed Vireo
Vireo solitarius
Warbling Vireo
Vireo gilvus
Rufous-browed Peppershrike
Cyclarhis gujanensis
Brown Jay
Psilorhinus morio
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Greenlet in Tikal National Park?
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Greenlet sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 1,438 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Lesser Greenlet in Tikal National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Lesser Greenlet in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.