Large Elaenia

Elaenia spectabilis

Medium-sized migratory flycatcher found at forest edges, in second growth, and along streams. As with other elaenia species, it has an olive-brown back and yellowish belly. Note the three wingbars and short crest. Very similar to Yellow-bellied Elaenia, but it is larger and has smaller crest with no white and three (not two) wingbars. The song is a loud whistle while the dawn song is series of “twee-wee-tweet” notes.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Elaenia spectabilis
Authority
Pelzeln, 1868
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Tyrannidae
Genus
Elaenia

Range and habitat

Migration
Complete migrants

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Pale-billed Antpitta

Pale-billed Antpitta

Grallaria carrikeri

Distinctive antpitta found only in high-elevation cloud forest on the east slope of the Andes in northern Peru. Adult has chestnut upperparts, gray underparts, a black face and throat, a chalky white bill, and a red eye. The rarely-seen juvenile is mostly gray with cinnamon barring. Inhabits forest understory in areas with abundant bamboo. Suitable habitat near roads has been mostly cleared for farmland, so seeing this bird usually involves a tough hike over steep terrain. It usually stays on the ground unless singing. Song is a leisurely series of hollow hoots; the second note is typically lower in pitch than the others.

Gray-breasted Spiderhunter

Gray-breasted Spiderhunter

Arachnothera modesta

Olive-yellow above with a streaked gray breast and belly. Fainter streaking that does not reach all the way to the vent, a paler belly, and a longer, more decurved bill distinguish it from slightly larger Streaky-breasted Spiderhunter. Forages actively at low and middle levels of lowland and hill forest. Produces a squeaky “tshe-yee tshe-yee!”, like wet shoes squeaking on a smooth surface.

Gray Tit-Flycatcher

Gray Tit-Flycatcher

Fraseria plumbea

A gray flycatcher that has a distinctive blackish tail with white outer tail feathers. It forages more like a warbler than a typical flycatcher, flitting through foliage searching carefully for insects; seldom sallies to catch flies. Often it leans forward with its tail slightly raised and spread, a behavior that may flush insects nearby. It forages unobtrusively in broadleaf woodland, thickets, and forest edge, where it is most often detected by its trembling, mournful “wheeely-wheerr” song. The similar Gray-throated Tit-Flycatcher prefers lowland rainforest and has an all-dark tail and a plain gray face, while Ashy Flycatcher has an all-dark tail and hunts by perching and sallying like a typical flycatcher.

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