Bird Guide

Large Elaenia vs Sierran 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
Sierran Elaenia (Elaenia pallatangae)

Sierran Elaenia

Elaenia pallatangae

Small18 gForest

The sierran elaenia is 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long and weighs about 12 to 18 g (0.42 to 0.63 oz). It is a small elaenia without a crest. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have an olive head with lighter and yellower cheeks, yellowish lores, a yellowish eyering, and a thin white strip in the center of the crown. Their upperparts are olive. Their wings are dusky olive with paler edges on the flight feathers. The tips of their wing coverts are yellowish white and show as two bars on the closed wing. Their tail is dusky olive. Voice: The sierran elaenia's dawn song is "a burry djee'wee interspersed with an occasional sneezy tjrr". Its day song is "a pure rising-falling peew or rising whee?" and its call is "a low djr-djr-djr".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Sierran Elaenia
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call · Azuay: upper Yunguilla Valley, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Allan Harris · CC0

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 Sierran Elaenia.