Bird Guide

Grey-headed Elaenia vs Pacific Elaenia

Grey-headed Elaenia (Myiopagis caniceps)

Grey-headed Elaenia

Myiopagis caniceps

Tiny11 gForest

The grey-headed elaenia is 12 to 14 cm (4.7 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 9.5 to 17 g (0.34 to 0.60 oz). Adult males have a medium gray crown with a partially concealed white stripe along its middle. They have an indistinct whitish loral spot and a grizzled whitish lower face. Their upperparts are olive gray. Their wings are black with white edges on the inner flight feathers and white tips on the coverts; the last form two bars on the closed wing. Their tail is grayish. Their throat is white, their breast pale gray, and their belly grayish white. Adult females are smaller than males. Voice: The grey-headed elaenia's main vocalization is a "series of varying length, starting with 2-4 single/extr. high notes, then gliding down and accelerating to a long trill, slowing down and often finishing with some up-and-down, lilting notes". The species typically vocalizes the most in the early morning but continues intermittently all day; it vocalizes from the forest canopy.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Grey-headed Elaenia
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Esmeraldas: 23 road km NNW Alto Tambo, 2 km N main road, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: William Swainson (1789-1855) · Public domain
Pacific Elaenia (Myiopagis subplacens)

Pacific Elaenia

Myiopagis subplacens

Small16 gWoodland

The Pacific elaenia is about 14 cm (5.5 in) long; one male weighed 14.9 g (0.53 oz) and four females averaged 16.9 g (0.60 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a gray-brown crown with a partially concealed bright yellow stripe along its middle. They have whitish lores, a partial white eyering, a grizzled whitish lower face with blackish ends on the ear coverts, and a wide whitish supercilium that continues down behind the black of the ear coverts. Their upperparts are brownish olive. Voice: The Pacific elaenia's dawn song is "an endlessly repeated 'chrrr, chrrr, che-wik, chrrr, chrrr, che-wik...' ". During the day it sings "a sharp, burry PJIT! djurrrree, the second note rising" and its calls include "a gruff pjrt and similar notes".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Pacific Elaenia
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call · Azuay: upper Yunguilla Valley, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: David F. Belmonte · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Grey-headed Elaenia and Pacific Elaenia.