Lesser Greenlet

Lesser Greenlet

Hylophilus decurtatus

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Santa Rosa National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

315 Verified sightings at Santa Rosa National Park From 2019 to 2026
36,322 In all 44 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

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: 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 →

Sounds

Call0:31

Ecuador · 2025

© Charlie Vogt · XC1035552 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:47

Ecuador · 2012

© Manuel Sanchez-Nivicela · XC990969 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:15

Ecuador · 2024

© Sue Riffe · XC928653 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~60%
2 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~60%
3 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~50%
4 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~50%
5 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~50%
6 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~50%
7 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
8 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~40%
9 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
10 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
11 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
12 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
13 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
14 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
15 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
16 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
17 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
18 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
19 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
20 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
21 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
22 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
23 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
24 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
25 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
26 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
27 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
28 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
29 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
30 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
31 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
32 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
33 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
34 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
35 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
36 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
37 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
38 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
39 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
40 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
41 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
42 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
43 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
44 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San Pedro Sula 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
2 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
3 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
4 San Salvador 🇸🇻 El Salvador
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Greenlet in Santa Rosa National Park?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Greenlet sighting in Santa Rosa National Park on a given day, based on 315 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lesser Greenlet in Santa Rosa National Park?

January and June

In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Greenlet in Santa Rosa National Park on a given day, against about 40% in February–May, September and November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Lesser Greenlet?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Greenlet sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Which relatives of the Lesser Greenlet live in Santa Rosa National Park?

Same family: Vireonidae

The closest relatives of the Lesser Greenlet that you can see in Santa Rosa National Park (family Vireonidae, Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis) are Yellow-throated Vireo (about 30%), Yellow-green Vireo (about 30%) and Philadelphia Vireo (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Lesser Greenlet sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lesser Greenlet is recorded against all the birds logged in Santa Rosa National Park (315 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.

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