Plain-crested Elaenia
Elaenia cristata
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
Sierran Elaenia
Elaenia pallatangae
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
Where you might meet both
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Play today's Daily BirdPhotos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Plain-crested Elaenia and Sierran Elaenia.