Zimmerius vilissimus
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Guatemalan Paltry Tyrannulet sighting in San José on a given day, based on 76 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 219th most-seen of the 379 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Guatemalan Paltry Tyrannulet in San José on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Guatemalan Paltry Tyrannulet sightings, San José ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Caracas (Venezuela, under 5%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Guatemalan Paltry Tyrannulet that you can see in San José (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Great Kiskadee (about 80%), Tropical Kingbird (about 70%) and Social Flycatcher (about 60%), 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 San José (76 verified sightings), 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.
