Gray-chested Greenlet Hylophilus semicinereus Scientific name definitions

The Gray-chested Greenlet is a widespread and reasonably common inhabitant of Amazonian forests, from southern Venezuela and eastern Colombia, to northeast Bolivia and southern Amazonian Brazil. There is also a single, seemingly anomalous, record from central Colombia, at the eastern base of the Andes. In terms of the species’ elevational range, the Gray-chested Greenlet has bee found from sea level to approximately 800 m. This greenlet is principally gray and green, with an olive-colored cap and upperparts, and gray feathering over the face, throat and breast, becoming whiter over the posterior underparts. It is usually found in the canopy of both terra firme and seasonally flooded forests, and is thus most easily detected by virtue of its vocalizations; the song consists of a slightly downslurred peer note uttered up to 20 times in sequence at a rate of about one per second. Very little is known of the species’ life history to date, and its breeding biology is as yet completely unknown.

12 cm; one bird 13 g. Nominate race has forehead greyish-green, becoming duller on rear of head; lores and side of face buffy, more grey-buff on ear-coverts; upperparts greenish; primaries and secondaries blackish-grey, edged greenish (giving greenish appearance to closed wing), inner web of tertials edged yellow; rectrices dull olive-green, edged brighter green; chin, whitish-grey, throat dull grey, chest grey with strong greenish-yellow tinge, brighter greenish-yellow at side; belly dull buff-white, more buff-grey at side, lower belly grey-white, faintly tinged yellow; carpal region and underwing-coverts bright yellow; iris whitish to grey; bill greyish above and at tip, dusky pinkish below and on cutting edges; legs dull grey-brown. Sexes alike. Juvenile undescribed. Race viridiceps has less grey on crown than nominate, paler and more whitish on underparts, with greenish wash on breast paler and less extensive; juruanus has head and nape strongly overlaid with olive-brown, is generally paler above than nominate, with throat and breast paler, less pale yellow on side of breast, and underwing-coverts and inner edges of remiges paler yellow.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Individual of undetermined race recorded C Colombia (W Meta).

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SUBSPECIES

Hylophilus semicinereus viridiceps Scientific name definitions

Distribution

S Venezuela (Amazonas and C and S Bolívar), E French Guiana, and N Brazil S to R Solimões and R Amazon (possibly also to Borba, on lower R Madeira), probably also E Colombia (E Vichada and E Guainía).

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SUBSPECIES

Hylophilus semicinereus semicinereus Scientific name definitions

Distribution

N Brazil S of lower R Amazon (from Pará and Maranhão, possibly from R Madeira, S to N Mato Grosso and W Tocantins (2 Kirwan, G. M., A. Whittaker, and K. J. Zimmer (2015). Interesting bird records from the Araguaia River Valley, central Brazil, with comments on conservation, distribution and taxonomy. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 135(1):21–60. Close ) ) and extreme NE Bolivia.

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SUBSPECIES

Hylophilus semicinereus juruanus Scientific name definitions

Distribution

NW Brazil S of R Solimões (region of upper R Juruá and R Purus) and NE Peru.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Canopy of second-growth woodland, humid forest, scrubby várzea, and permanently flooded areas, especially where canopy lower; from near sea-level to 400 m.

Probably sedentary.

Food small insects. Forages in canopy and vines, staying mostly in outer foliage, often hanging upside-down to glean from leaves. Often in mixed flocks.

No information.

Not globally threatened. Uncommon and local in Venezuela; fairly common to common in other parts of range. Common but localized in Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, in Peru. Occurs in several other protected areas.