Bird Guide

Large Elaenia vs Plain-crested Elaenia

Large Elaenia (Elaenia spectabilis)

Large Elaenia

Elaenia spectabilis

Small27 gShrubland

The large elaenia is 16.5 to 18 cm (6.5 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 20 to 35 g (0.71 to 1.2 oz). It is a large elaenia with a small crest. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a mostly olive-brown head with a minimal or no white stripe in the middle of the crest. Their upperparts are dark grayish olive. Their wings are dusky with white tips on the coverts that show as three wing bars. Their tail is dusky. Their throat is grayish, their breast dark olive-gray, and their belly and undertail undertail coverts yellow. Voice: The large elaenia's dawn song is "a shrill, repetitious 'twee-wee-tweet' ". Its calls include "a soft 'cleeur' or 'wheeo' ", "wheer", and "cheer".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Large Elaenia
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call · Salta: Vaqueros, 12 km N Salta, Argentina · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Carlos Henrique Luz Nunes de Almeida · CC BY 3.0
Plain-crested Elaenia (Elaenia cristata)

Plain-crested Elaenia

Elaenia cristata

Small18 gShrubland

The plain-crested elaenia is 12.5 to 15 cm (4.9 to 5.9 in) long and weighs about 18 g (0.63 oz). It is a small elaenia with a conspicuous crest. The two subspecies and the sexes have essentially the same plumage. Adults have a dull olive-brown head with lighter brown cheeks and a thin whitish eyering. Their upperparts are dull olive-brown. Their wings are mostly dusky; the flight feathers have whitish edges and the tips of the coverts are whitish. The latter show as two bars on the closed wing. Their tail is dusky. Voice: The plain-crested elaenia's song is a "raspy 'zree-zree-zuzu' or 'zreeeh dudu' and variations thereof". Its calls include a "soft melodious 'wee' ", a "short rattle as 'wee'he'he'he'he' ", a "low 'wheesp' or 'wheeb' ", and a "rising and then falling 'dsooty-ééo' ".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Audrey Whitlock · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Large Elaenia and Plain-crested Elaenia.