Greenish Tyrannulet

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Quick Facts

  • Scientific Name: Phyllomyias virescens
  • Spanish Name: Atrapamoscas verdoso
  • Family: Tyrannidae
  • Known Nicknames: Greenish Elaenia, Temminck's Tyrannulet
  • Average Length: 11–12 cm / 4.3–4.7 in
  • Average Weight: 8–11 g / 0.28–0.39 oz
  • Wingspan: N/A
  • Key Feature: Olive-green upperparts with pale yellow underparts and a faint wingbar
  • Primary Diet: Insectivore
  • Range: Southeastern Brazil to eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina
  • Habitat: Humid montane and lowland forests, forest edges, and secondary growth
  • Social Structure: Solitary or in pairs
  • Nesting/Breeding: Cup-shaped nest in a tree fork
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Stable

The Greenish Tyrannulet (*Phyllomyias virescens*) is a small, active flycatcher of the Atlantic Forest, easily overlooked despite its subtle charm. Its general appearance is a uniform, olive-green above and pale yellowish below, with two faint, whitish wingbars and a relatively short, thin bill. Its most unique characteristic is its distinctive, high-pitched, insect-like song—a rapid series of sharp, metallic notes that often reveals its presence high in the canopy. A special feature is its preference for mixed-species foraging flocks, where it tirelessly gleans insects from leaves and twigs, often hanging upside-down like a tiny titmouse, a behavior that distinguishes it from many similar, drab tyrannulets.

Fun Facts

Despite its drab olive-green plumage, the Greenish Tyrannulet has a surprisingly loud, explosive song for a bird of its tiny size, often delivered from a high perch to assert dominance. It exhibits a quirky foraging behavior where it rapidly flicks its wings while gleaning insects from the undersides of leaves, a motion that seems almost mechanical. One of its most unique adaptations is its ability to hover briefly like a hummingbird to snatch prey from the tips of branches, a rare skill among small tyrant flycatchers. Additionally, it sometimes joins mixed-species foraging flocks, where it acts as a sentinel, using sharp alarm calls to warn other birds of approaching predators.

Habitats & Distribution

The Greenish Tyrannulet is primarily found in the Atlantic Forest biome of southeastern Brazil, extending into eastern Paraguay and the extreme northeastern edge of Argentina (Misiones). Its habitat consists of humid, montane and lowland forests, including both primary and well-developed secondary growth, typically ranging from near sea level up to around 1,500 meters in elevation. It favors the canopy and subcanopy of dense, mature forests, often along forest edges and clearings with tall trees, but avoids open or heavily degraded areas.

Behaviours & Reproduction

The Greenish Tyrannulet is generally a solitary or pair-dwelling bird outside of the breeding season, with no complex social structure. Mating appears to be monogamous, with pairs forming during the austral spring. Courtship involves brief aerial chases and soft, high-pitched calls, but elaborate displays are not documented. A unique reproductive strategy is its nest construction: both sexes build a deep, domed cup with a side entrance, often lined with soft plant down or feathers, and placed in a fork high in a tree. The female lays two or three white eggs, and incubation is performed solely by her, though the male assists with feeding the chicks after hatching. This species does not engage in cooperative breeding or brood parasitism defenses beyond typical nest concealment.

Diet

The Greenish Tyrannulet is primarily insectivorous, with a diet consisting mainly of small arthropods such as beetles, caterpillars, ants, and flies, which it actively gleans from foliage and branches in the forest canopy. Interestingly, it also supplements its insect-heavy diet with small berries and fruits, particularly from mistletoe and other understory plants, making it an occasional frugivore. This flexibility allows it to exploit seasonal food sources, and it often forages in mixed-species flocks, where it can benefit from the disturbances caused by other birds to flush out hidden prey. Unlike many flycatchers, it rarely engages in long aerial sallies, instead preferring to pick prey directly from leaf surfaces in a methodical, slow-moving search.

Colors

The Greenish Tyrannulet is predominantly olive-green above, with a slightly paler, yellowish-olive belly and throat. Its wings feature two faint, pale yellowish wingbars, and the face is unmarked except for a subtle pale eye-ring. This uniform greenish coloration serves as effective camouflage in the dappled light of its forest canopy habitat.

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