Grey-chested greenlet

Grey-chested greenlet
At Iranduba, Amazonas state, Brazil
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Vireonidae
Genus:	Hylophilus
Species:	H. semicinereus
Binomial name
Hylophilus semicinereus Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1867

The grey-chested greenlet (Hylophilus semicinereus) is a species of bird in the family Vireonidae, the vireos, greenlets, and shrike-babblers. ^[2] It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Peru, Venezuela, and possibly Colombia. ^[3]

Taxonomy and systematics

The grey-chested greenlet has three subspecies, the nominate H. s. semicinereus (Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1867), H. s. viridiceps (Todd, 1929), and H. s. juruanus (Gyldenstolpe, 1941). ^[2]

Hylophilus semicinereus illustration by Joseph Smit, 1867

Description

The grey-chested greenlet is about 12 cm (4.7 in) long; one individual weighed 13 g (0.46 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a grayish green forehead and a grayer crown. Their lores and the sides of their face are buffy and their ear coverts gray-buff. Their upperparts are greenish. Their wings' primaries and secondaries are blackish gray with greenish edges and the tertials are blackish gray with yellow edges on the inner webs. Their tail is dull olive-green with brighter green edges on the feathers. Their chin is whitish gray, their throat dull gray, their breast gray with a greenish yellow-tinge that is brighter on the side, their upper belly dull buff-white, and their lower belly gray-white with a slight yellow tinge. Subspecies H. s. viridiceps has less gray on the crown than the nominate, with paler and more whitish underparts that have a paler greenish wash on the breast. H. s. juruanus has a heavy olive-brown tinge on the head and nape and is otherwise overall paler than the nominate. All subspecies have a whitish to gray iris, a grayish maxilla, a pinkish mandible with a grayish tip, and dull gray-brown legs and feet. ^[4]

Distribution and habitat

The subspecies of the grey-chested greenlet are found thus: ^[4]

• H. s. viridiceps: southern Venezuela's Amazonas and Bolívar states, eastern French Guiana, and northern Brazil to the Solimões (upper Amazon) and main Amazon perhaps as far east as the Madeira River; perhaps also in eastern Colombia ^{[note 1]}
• H. s. semicinereus: northern Brazil south of the Amazon in Pará, Maranhão, northern Mato Grosso, and western Tocantins and into extreme northeastern Bolivia
• H. s. juruanus: south of the upper Amazon/Solimões from northeastern Peru into northwestern Brazil to the Purus River

The grey-chested greenlet inhabits the canopy, edges, and clearings of humid forest including várzea , permanently flooded forest, and secondary forest. It favors areas with a relatively low canopy. ^{[4] [6]} In elevation it ranges from sea level to 400 m (1,300 ft) in Brazil and up to 350 m (1,100 ft) in Venezuela. ^{[7] [6]}

Behavior

Movement

The grey-chested greenlet is apparently a sedentary year-round resident. ^[4]

Feeding

The grey-chested greenlet feeds mostly on small insects. It forages mostly in the outer foliage and often hangs upside-down to glean prey from leaves. It often joins mixed-species feeding flocks. ^[4]

Breeding

Nothing is known about the grey-chested greenlet's breeding biology. ^[4]

Songs and calls Listen to the grey-chested greenlet on xeno-canto

Vocalization

The grey-chested greenlet's song is a "very high, hurried wee-wee-wee... (about 8-20 x, but often too fast to count". ^[7]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the grey-chested greenlet as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range; its population size is not known but is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. ^[1] It is considered "common to frequent" in Brazil, "uncommon and possibly local" in Venezuela, and "local" in Peru. ^{[7] [6] [8]}

Notes

1. Though some sources place the grey-chested greenlet possibly or definitely in Colombia ^{[4] [5]} others do not and the South American Classification Committee has no confirmed records in that country ^{[2] [3]} .

References

1. BirdLife International (2018). "Grey-chested Greenlet Hylophilus semicinereus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018 e.T22705286A130387486. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22705286A130387486.en . Retrieved 19 November 2025.
2. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (March 2025). "Vireos, shrike-babblers". IOC World Bird List. v 15.1. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
3. Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, D. F. Lane, L, N. Naka, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 29 September 2025. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. South American Classification Committee associated with the International Ornithological Union. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved September 29, 2025
4. Brewer, D. (2020). Gray-chested Greenlet (Hylophilus semicinereus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.gycgre1.01 retrieved November 19, 2025
5. McMullan, Miles; Donegan, Thomas M.; Quevedo, Alonso (2010). Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Bogotá: Fundación ProAves. p. 178. ISBN   978-0-9827615-0-2.
6. Hilty, Steven L. (2003). Birds of Venezuela (second ed.). Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 677.
7. van Perlo, Ber (2009). A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 338–339. ISBN   978-0-19-530155-7.
8. Schulenberg, T.S.; Stotz, D.F.; Lane, D.F.; O'Neill, J.P.; Parker, T.A. III (2010). Birds of Peru. Princeton Field Guides (revised and updated ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 508. ISBN   978-0691130231.