Tepui Elaenia

Overview

The tepui elaenia (Elaenia olivina) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, known as the tyrant flycatchers. It is a small, year-round resident found in the tepui regions of Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela, where it is assessed as being of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Length of 14.5 to 15 cm with a weight of approximately 15 to 20 g, featuring a very small crest and dark brown irises.
• Upperparts are dark olive-brown, with wings showing whitish or yellowish edges on flight feathers and two whitish bars formed by the tips of the wing coverts.
• Underparts are yellowish with a strong olive wash on the throat, breast, and flanks, contrasting with an unmarked yellow belly.
• A black bill with a pinkish base to the mandible and black legs and feet, with a thin yellowish-white eyering and a white strip on the crown.

Habitat

Primarily inhabits scrubby edges and rocky openings in humid montane forest, as well as secondary forest dominated by Melastomataceae. It ranges in elevation from 950 to 3,000 m, with specific subspecies restricted to Cerro de la Neblina in southern Venezuela and other tepuis across the border region of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana.

Diet

Feeds on insects and small fruits, particularly those of the Melastomataceae family. Forages at all levels of the forest and often joins mixed-species feeding flocks, finding food mostly by gleaning while perched.

Did you know?

The species was not recognised as separate from the sierran elaenia until approximately 2008, having been treated as a subspecies for much of the twentieth century.