South-eastern Brazil (southern Mato Grosso do Sul east to Espíritu Santo, south to Rio Grande do Sul), eastern Paraguay and northern Argentina (Misiones).
 
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Rufous-crowned Greenlet (Hylophilus poicilotis) [XC355793]
by maria belotti from Rio Bonito de Baixo - Nova Friburgo - RJ, Brazil (song)
Rufous-crowned Greenlet (Hylophilus poicilotis) [XC606699]
by Dante Buzzetti from Mata dos Caet\u00e9s, Vargem Alta-ES, Esp\u00edrito Santo, Brazil (song)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Formerly treated as conspecific with Grey-eyed Greenlet (Hylophilus amaurocephalus), with which partly sympatric, but appears to be clearly differentiated by plumage, eye colour, vocalizations and habitat preference. Previously reported hybridization between the two explained as being due to presence of a "residual cline" that reflects geographical variation of the ancestor.