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Small-headed Elaenia - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Rodrigo Conte
Brasilia, Brazil, 6 March 2016
Elaenia sordida

Identification

Unusual for an Elaenia in lacking both crest and white central crown patch. Small head and long tail. Has two whitish wing bars but strength of these very variable, possibly due to plumage wear.

Distribution

found mostly in Brazil but also in easternmost Paraguay, northernmost Uruguay and north-eastern Argentina.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

Small-headed Elaenia was split from Highland Elaenia

Habitat

From sea level to 2000 m above in woodland edges and undergrowth. Seems quite tolerant to habitat degradation and fragmentation.

Behaviour

Food includes insects and berries/fruit.

Vocalisation

Song is a simple “wee-krrr-ee-krrree”

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Gill F, D Donsker & P Rasmussen (Eds). 2021. IOC World Bird List (v11.1). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.11.1. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
  3. Ber van Perlo. 2009. A field guide to the Birds of Brazil. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-530155-7
  4. del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Small-headed Elaenia (Elaenia sordida), 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.higela3.01

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