How do you identify a Great Elaenia?

The great elaenia is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long and weighs 29 to 40 g (1.0 to 1.4 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.

How big is a Great Elaenia?

The Great Elaenia is a small sized bird weighing about 20 g.

Where can you see a Great Elaenia?

The Great Elaenia is endemic to Venezuela, which is the only country where it occurs.

What birds look similar to a Great Elaenia?

The Great Elaenia is most easily confused with the Noronha Elaenia, the Hispaniolan Elaenia and the Tepui Elaenia.

Is the Great Elaenia endangered?

The Great Elaenia is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Great Elaenia

Elaenia dayi

Tyrant Flycatchers and Allies · Passeriformes · Legendary

The Great Elaenia (Elaenia dayi) is a legendary tyrant flycatcher found only in Venezuela, weighing about 20 g. The great elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.

Least ConcernLegendaryEndemicEats invertebratesforest20 g

About the Great Elaenia

The great elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Brazil and Venezuela.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The great elaenia is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long and weighs 29 to 40 g (1.0 to 1.4 oz). It is the largest elaenia; it has a long tail and a very small or no crest. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a dark sooty brown head with a blacker crown, lighter cheeks, and a thin whitish broken eyering. Their upperparts are dark sooty brown. Their wings are mostly dark sooty brown with whitish edges on some flight feathers. The tips of their wing coverts are whitish and show as two bars on the closed wing. Their tail is dusky. Voice: The great elaenia's primary vocalization is "an odd, rather loud, somewhat variable SQUEEE'ch'ch'ch-cheet-cheet, 1st note high, part rattling", and is sometimes shortened.

Where it lives

Venezuela

When to see it

Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, August, October, December, with peak activity in February. It is a variable species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Great Elaenia?: The great elaenia is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long and weighs 29 to 40 g (1.0 to 1.4 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Great Elaenia?: The Great Elaenia is a small sized bird weighing about 20 g.
Where can you see a Great Elaenia?: The Great Elaenia is endemic to Venezuela, which is the only country where it occurs.
What birds look similar to a Great Elaenia?: The Great Elaenia is most easily confused with the Noronha Elaenia, the Hispaniolan Elaenia and the Tepui Elaenia.
Is the Great Elaenia endangered?: The Great Elaenia is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Great Elaenia for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

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