| Great elaenia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Tyrannidae |
| Genus: | Elaenia |
| Species: | E. dayi |
| Binomial name | |
| Elaenia dayi Chapman, 1929 | |
| Subspecies | |
See text | |
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The great elaenia (Elaenia dayi) is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Brazil and Venezuela. [2]
The great elaenia has three subspecies, the nominate E. d. dayi (Chapman, 1929), E. d. auyantepui (Zimmer, JT & Phelps, WH, 1952), and E. d. tyleri (Chapman, 1929). [2] The last had been originally described as a separate species. [3] The great elaenia, the highland elaenia (E. obscura), and the small-headed elaenia (E. sordida) are sister species. [4]
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. Their underparts are mostly dull olive-gray with a lighter throat and a pale yellowish belly. Subspecies E. d. tyleri is larger than the nominate but otherwise the same. E. d. auyantepui is midway between the other two subspecies in size and darker than both, with a gray cast from the chin to the breast and a duller yellow belly. Both sexes of all subspecies have a dark brown iris, a small black bill with a pale base to the mandible, and black legs and feet. [5] [6] [7]
The great elaenia is a bird of the tepui region of southeastern Venezuela and extreme northwestern Brazil. The nominate subspecies is found on the mountains of the Gran Sabana, on several tepuis in southeastern Venezuela, and on both the Venezuelan and Brazilian sides of Mount Roraima. Subspecies E. d. tyleri is found in Venezuela on cerros Parú, Huachamacari, Marahuaca, and Duida in Amazonas state and on Meseta del Cerro Jaua in Bolívar state. E. d. auyantepui is found only on Auyán-tepui in Bolívar. [5] [6] [7] Some sources say that the species might also occur in Guyana but the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society has no records from that country. [2] [6] [8]
On the Gran Sabana the great elaenia inhabits stunted savanna woodland, isolated trees, and shrubby areas. On the slopes and summits of the tepuis it inhabits the interior and shrubby edges of humid montane forest. In elevation it ranges between 300 and 2,600 m (1,000 and 8,500 ft) though almost all records are above 1,800 m (5,900 ft). [5] [6] [7]
The great elaenia is a year-round resident throughout its range. [5] [6]
The great elaenia feeds primarily on insects but also includes a variety of small fruits in its diet. It forages singly or in pairs, in the middle and upper levels of the forest, sometimes in the open and sometimes hidden. It finds food by gleaning while perched and while briefly hovering. [5] [6]
The great elaenia's breeding season has not been established but includes February on Auyán-tepui. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology. [5]
The great elaenia's primary vocalization is "an odd, rather loud, somewhat variable SQUEEE'ch'ch'ch-cheet-cheet, 1st note high, [middle] part rattling", and is sometimes shortened. [6]
The IUCN has assessed the great elaenia as being of Least Concern. Its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. [1] It is considered generally rare to fairly common, and common on Mount Roraima especially in the rainy season. [5] [7] Most of its locations are within national parks. "The tepuis within its range are generally inaccessible, and therefore not overly affected by human disturbance, but vegetation is especially sensitive to fire and other disturbances." [5]
Auyán-tepui, also spelled Ayan, is a tepui in Bolívar state, Venezuela. It is the most visited and one of the largest tepuis in the Guiana Highlands, with a summit area of 666.9 km2 (257.5 sq mi) and an estimated slope area of 715 km2 (276 sq mi).
Canaima National Park is a 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) park in south-eastern Venezuela that roughly occupies the same area as the Gran Sabana region. It is located in Bolívar State, reaching the borders with Brazil and Guyana. The park was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The yellow-bellied elaenia is a small bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Mexico, in every Central American country, in every mainland South American country except Chile, on Trinidad and Tobago, and on several islands in the Lesser Antilles.
The mountain elaenia is a small passerine bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela.
The tepui spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.
The white-crested elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The lesser elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, on Trinidad, in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay, and as a vagrant on Bonaire and Curaçao.
The plain-crested elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The Caribbean elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in the West Indies, in parts of Central America, and on islands just off the northern South American coast.
The sierran elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The rufous-crowned elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The yellow-crowned elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The foothill elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The greenish elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Mexico, every Central American country, and every mainland South American country except Chile and French Guiana. It has also occurred as a vagrant in southern Texas.
The sooty-headed tyrannulet is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The masked trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is fairly common in humid highland forests in South America, mainly the Andes and tepuis.
The natural range of the carnivorous plant genus Heliamphora is restricted to the southern Venezuelan states of Amazonas and Bolívar, and to adjacent portions of northern Brazil and western Guyana, an area corresponding to the western part of the Guayana Shield. These plants are largely confined to the summits and foothills of the sandstone table-top mountains of the region, known as tepuis.
Coopmans's elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.
The tepui elaenia is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.
The Sierra de Lema flycatcher or Tepui flycatcher is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It is found in highland areas, including the table-top mountains (tepui), of southern Venezuela and the neighbouring parts of Brazil and Guiana. Its natural habitats are moist montane forests.
