[birdky] Re: Elaenia in Illinois
- From: Chris Sloan <csloan1973@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: TN-Bird Listserv <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, birdky <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:46:45 -0500
Someone emailed me offline asking what an elaenia is, and after I responded
I realized that my answer might be of interest to others, so here is what I
responded:
Elaenias are a group of tyrant flycatchers found throughout the Neotropics,
from Mexico down through South America. They are fairly widespread and are
found in a variety of different elevations and habitats. A few of them are
noted long-distance austral migrants, so they are prone to the same sort of
"overshoot" phenomenon in North America that occurs with species like
Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Variegated Flycatcher, Brown-chested Martin, etc.
Both species that are being considered for the Illinois bird (the chilensis
subspecies of White-crested, and Small-billed) fit that profile.
One of the common characteristics of a lot of elaenias is that they have a
white coronal stripe, which is sometimes difficult to see. The white
coronal stripe is what first clued folks in that the Illinois bird is an
elaenia. Elaenias are, in many cases, even more difficult to identify than
empids. It is possible that, absent voice recordings, the Illinois elaenia
may not be identifiable to species with 100% certainty.
Chris Sloan
Nashville, TN
http://www.chrissloanphotography.com
On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 2:43 PM, Chris Sloan <csloan1973@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> FYI, there is an Elaenia currently being seen in Illinois. It's likely
> either White-crested (one previous ABA record) or Small-billed (none). The
> key point is, if one can show up in Illinois, it could sure as heck show in
> TN or KY. In fact, that bird likely passed through TN and KY on the way to
> Illinois. So, think critically, don't assume, and above all else, when in
> doubt, TAKE PICTURES. The Illinois bird was originally identified as a
> weird empid but the observers (1) knew it was unusual looking even for an
> empid, and (2) took lots of pictures that they then posted for others to
> see.
>
> Chris Sloan
> Nashville, TN
> http://www.chrissloanphotography.com
>
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