Slaty Elaenia

Overview

The slaty elaenia (Elaenia strepera) is a small tyrant flycatcher found in South America. As a complete migrant, it breeds on the eastern slopes of the Andes and winters in northern South America.

Identification

• 15 to 16 cm in length with a slight crest.
• Adult males display slate-gray upperparts, a slate-gray head with a thin white eyering, and a partially concealed white patch on the crown.
• Adult females feature an olive wash on the upperparts and ochraceous-tinged wing bars.
• Both sexes possess a flat, wide, black bill with a dull orangish base to the mandible and black legs.
• Primary call is a dry, gravelly 'eh-eh-ehhhhhh' resembling the sounds of a frog or locust.

Habitat

Breeds in somewhat open woodlands and forest edges, often along watercourses, at elevations of 500 to 2,000 m on the eastern Andean slope from Bolivia to Argentina. Migrates north to winter in eastern Peru, southeastern Colombia, and eastern Venezuela, where it occupies forest edges and open landscapes up to 900 m.

Diet

Feeds on insects and small fruits by gleaning while perched or hovering, and by capturing flying insects on the wing. Usually forages singly or in pairs, but occasionally joins mixed-species feeding flocks on wintering grounds.

Did you know?

Its vocalisation is unique among elaenias, having been likened to the sounds produced by frogs or locusts.