Forest Elaenia (Myiopagis gaimardii)

Identification & Behavior: ~12.5 cm (5 in). The Forest Elaenia is mostly yellowish-olive above. The top of the head is gray. The sides of the head are grizzled with a pale superciliary from above the eye. It has a semi-concealed light yellow crown. The breast is olive with diffuse yellow streaks grading to yellow toward the rest of the underparts. The bill is black. The wing coverts are dusky margined with yellowish. It forages in the canopy and sub-canopy of humid forest in Amazonia often in the company of mixed species flocks. It is similar to the Gray-crowned Flycatcher but is distinguished by a solid black bill and dark iris. Also, see Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet.

Status: The Forest Elaenia is fairly common and widespread in Amazonia where it is known to range up to 1200 m along the foothill of the Andes. It also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Fío-Fío de la Selva.

Sub-species: Myiopagis gaimardii guianensis (Berlepsch), 1907.  E Amazonian Colombia, S & SE Venezuela (S of R Orinoco) and the Guianas S to N Amazonian Brazil and extreme NE Peru (Loreto).
Myiopagis gaimardii gaimardii (d’Orbigny), 1840.   E Ecuador, E Peru, S Amazonian Brazil (E to W Pará, also Alagoas, S to W Mato Grosso, W São Paulo and Goiás) and N Bolivia.

Meaning of Name: Myiopagis: Gr. muia, muias=  fly and pagis=  trap, snare. gaimardii: In honor of Joseph Paul Gaimard (1793-1858) French surgeon-naturalist, explorer.

See more of the Family Tyrannidae