Zimmerius vilissimus
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
The Guatemalan tyrannulet, or paltry tyrannulet, (Zimmerius vilissimus) is a very small passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. The Guatemalan tyrannulet was originally described as Elainia vilissima. During much of the twentieth century it and several other tyrannulets were placed in genus Tyranniscus but a study published in 1977 erected the present genus Zimmerius for them.
Zimmerius vilissimus was previously called the paltry tyrannulet and included as subspecies what are now the mistletoe tyrannulet (Z. parvus), spectacled tyrannulet (Z. improbus), and Venezuelan tyrannulet (Z. petersi). Taxonomic systems began separating them in 2004 but it took until 2020 for all to complete the change. Most systems adopted the common name Guatemalan tyrannulet for Z. vilissimus sensu stricto to avoid confusion with the previous multi-subspecies paltry tyrannulet but as of late 2024 BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World retained the old "paltry" name.
The Guatemalan tyrannulet is monotypic. The Guatemalan tyrannulet is 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caracas | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 2 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Guatemalan Paltry Tyrannulet sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 2,158 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 109th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September to December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Guatemalan Paltry Tyrannulet in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January to August, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Guatemalan Paltry Tyrannulet sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
15th of 32
Of the 32 parks where we can rate Guatemalan Paltry Tyrannulet sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 15th at about 10%. The best odds are in Chagres National Park (Panama, about 50%), Chirripó National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%) and El Triunfo (Mexico, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Guatemalan Paltry Tyrannulet that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Great Kiskadee (about 70%), Social Flycatcher (about 50%) and Tropical Kingbird (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Guatemalan Paltry Tyrannulet is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (2,158 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
