This vireo occurs in coastal parts of Mexico and Central America and on Providencia Island, Colombia. It searches leaves and branches for small invertebrates in mangroves and scrub.
Plumage varies geographically: birds in western Mexico and Yucatan tend to be more yellowish, while Pacific-side birds farther south are greyer. Many have a pale yellow area just above the front of the eye.
It gleans small invertebrates from leaves and branches in mangroves, swamp thickets and lowland scrub. It is mainly coastal, though on the Yucatan Peninsula it also occurs inland.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.