Scrub Greenlet

Overview

The scrub greenlet, Hylophilus flavipes, is a small passerine bird belonging to the family Vireonidae. It is distributed across parts of Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Tobago, and Venezuela, where it is considered a sedentary year-round resident.

Identification

• A small bird measuring 10.5 to 12.5 cm in length with dull olive-green upperparts and a slightly lighter rump.
• Pale gray sides of the head, a whitish or gray iris, and a bill that is grayish pink to pink.
• Bluish or dusky pink legs and feet in adults, contrasting with the dark bill and iris of juveniles.
• Song varies by subspecies, ranging from a sweet 'we-cher' repetition in Costa Rica to a penetrating 'turee' series in Venezuela.

Habitat

This species inhabits diverse tropical landscapes including low dense scrub, arid scrublands, and semi-deciduous forests, often preferring areas regenerating with trees. Elevation varies across its range, reaching up to 1,200 m in northern Venezuela and 1,000 m in Colombia, while the Tobago subspecies stays mostly below 500 m.

Diet

The diet consists primarily of arthropods, supplemented by berries and seeds. The bird typically forages in pairs or family groups, and occasionally joins mixed-species flocks, by gleaning prey from foliage and frequently hanging upside-down during the process.

Did you know?

The taxonomy of the scrub greenlet is unsettled, with BirdLife International splitting the population into the 'yellow-green greenlet' and 'Tobago greenlet', whereas other authorities maintain a seven-subspecies model.