Family Vireos (Vireonidae)
Least Concern
Lesser Greenlet (Pachysylvia decurtata)
Taxonomy
French: Viréon menu German: Graukappenvireo Spanish: Verdillo menor
Taxonomy:
Sylvicola decurtata
Bonaparte
, 1838,Guatemala
.
Subspecies and Distribution
P. d. brevipennis
(Giraud, 1851) – E Mexico (SE San Luis Potosí, N & C Veracruz, N Oaxaca, S Chiapas).
P. d. dickermani
(Parkes, 1991) – SE Mexico (S Veracruz E to Tabasco, N Chiapas and W Campeche).
P. d. phillipsi
(Parkes, 1991) – SE Mexico (E Campeche and Quintana Roo) and N Belize.
P. d. decurtata
(Bonaparte, 1838) – Grey-headed Greenlet – S Belize and Guatemala S to C Panama.
P. d. darienensis
Griscom, 1927 – C Panama E to NW Colombia (E to Santander).
P. d. minor
(Berlepsch & Taczanowski, 1884) – Lesser Greenlet – Pacific lowlands from W Colombia S to extreme NW Peru (Tumbes).
Descriptive notes
9·4–10·2 cm; 6·6–10·3 g. Nominate race has top and side of head grey-blue, lores greyish, whitish eyering and often a narrow paler supraloral stripe; upperparts... read more
Voice
Song described as a pleasant, rather quiet series of 2–3 phrases, continuously repeated and... read more
Habitat
Humid, evergreen forest, forest edge and semi-deciduous forest, from sea-level to 1000 m;... read more
Food and feeding
Food mostly invertebrates; some arillate seeds (Alchornea) also taken. Nestling diet apparently invertebrates only, i.e.... read more
Breeding
Breeding from Mar and nest-building as late as end Jun in Belize; nests Feb–May in Costa Rica; birds in breeding condition in May in... read more
Movements
Apparently sedentary.
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Common or abundant over much of its range. Able to adapt to modified habitats, including regenerating forest.
S races darienensis and minor have olive-washed vs greyish head and were formerly treated as a separate species, but vocally only a possible minor difference detected; hybridization of darienensis with nominate occurs in overlap zone in C Panama. Publication date of Apr 1851 for race brevipennis supported by Richmond Index#R, although this dating is not universally agreed#R. Six subspecies recognized.