White-crested Elaenia (Elaenia albiceps)

Identification & Behavior: ~14 cm (5.5 in). The White-crested Elaenia has resident, breeding-only, and migratory populations in Peru. The back ranges from dull gray to dusky. The wing coverts form whitish wing bars. The underparts are generally grayish with only a yellowish tinge. The crest is well developed with a large white crown patch. The base of the lower mandible is yellow-orange. It forages in semi-open habitats and fringes of agricultural land. It is more likely to overlap with the Plain-crested Elaenia and Lesser Elaenia. Voice and habitat use need to be considered for proper identification.

Status: The White-crested Elaenia is common on both slopes of the Andes and the coastal lowlands. It does not range onto Amazonia. It also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, Bo, and Ch.

Name in Spanish: Fío-Fío de Cresta Blanca.

Sub-species: White-crested Elaenia (Elaenia albiceps griseigularis) P. L. Sclater, 1859.  SW Colombia S to NW Peru (S to W Cajamarca).
(Elaenia albiceps diversa), J. T. Zimmer, 1941.  Andes of NC Peru (Cajamarca S to Huánuco).
(Elaenia albiceps urubambae), J. T. Zimmer, 1941.  SE Peru (near Cuzco).
(Elaenia albiceps modesta), Tschudi, 1844.  W Peru S to NW Chile.
(Elaenia albiceps albiceps), (d’Orbigny and Lafresnaye), 1837.  SE Peru (S from Puno) S to NW Bolivia.
(Elaenia albiceps chilensis), Hellmayr, 1927   breeds in Andes from S Bolivia (Chuquisaca) S to Argentina (S to Catamarca and W Córdoba), thence S in lowlands to Tierra del Fuego; migrates N as far as Peru (possibly Colombia) and NE Brazil (Pará and Bahia).

Meaning of Name: Elaenia: Gr. elaineos= of olive-oil, oleaginous. albiceps: L. albus= white and caput, capitis= head and ceps= headed.

See more of the Family Tyrannidae