[TN-Bird] Re: Elaenia in Illinois
- From: Jon Mann <dback_jon@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "csloan1973@xxxxxxxxx" <csloan1973@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:18:56 -0700
On il birds, Bret Whitney, who is working on a field guide to SE Brazil, feels
confident it is a White-crested. He also said:
You guys found an austral overshoot in Chicago! This is very much in the same
pattern as spring Fork-tailed Flycatchers showing up in eastern N. America.
Your finding of this single bird in Chicago makes me imagine that there are
likely many other White-crested Elaenias scattered through the eastern US right
now; people should be on the lookout for them, especially around any fruiting
shrubs or trees with smallish fruits.
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 19, 2012, at 1:46 PM, Chris Sloan <csloan1973@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 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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