White-crested elaenia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White-crested elaenia |
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Elaenia
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albiceps
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The white-crested elaenia (Elaenia albiceps) is a type of bird that belongs to the Tyrannidae family. This family is also known as the tyrant flycatchers. These birds have several different types, called subspecies, that live and breed across the southern and western parts of South America. Birds from the southern areas fly north during the winter months.
You can find these birds living in different places. They like cool forests, moist mountain forests in warm areas, and high-altitude shrubland. They can also live in areas where forests used to be, but have changed a lot.
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What Does It Look Like?
The white-crested elaenia is easy to spot if you know what to look for! It has a plain look, mostly dull green on top and whitish underneath. Its wings have clear pale stripes, which are called wing bars. It also looks like it has a small crest on its head, with a hidden white patch in the middle. This bird usually stands up straight.
It can be hard to tell this bird apart from some other similar birds, like the small-billed elaenia. This bird is about 13.5 to 15 centimeters (5.3 to 5.9 inches) long. It weighs between 12.5 and 24.3 grams (0.44 to 0.86 ounces).
Types of White-Crested Elaenia
Scientists recognize at least five different types, or subspecies, of the white-crested elaenia:
- Elaenia albiceps griseigularis - found from southwestern Colombia to northwestern Peru.
- Elaenia albiceps diversa - found in north-central Peru.
- Elaenia albiceps urubambae - found in southeastern Peru.
- Elaenia albiceps albiceps - found in extreme southeastern Peru and northwestern Bolivia.
- Elaenia albiceps modesta - found in western Peru and northwestern Chile. This type sings different songs and might even become its own separate species, called the Peruvian elaenia.
Some experts also recognize a sixth type, E. a. chilensis. This one is found in Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. Some people think it should be its own species, called the Chilean elaenia.
Where Do They Live?
The white-crested elaenia lives all year round in the central and southwestern Andes mountains in South America. You can find them in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and the northern part of Chile. They also live in most of Argentina, especially in the west, and in southern and central Chile, including Tierra del Fuego.
During the southern winter, many of these birds fly north and east. They go to northeast Brazil, the Amazon Basin, and the Amazonian Andes regions. This includes eastern Colombia, Peru, and northern Bolivia, stretching southeast into eastern Brazil. For about two-thirds of its range in South America, the white-crested elaenia is a migratory species. This means it travels a lot!
Sometimes, these birds wander far from home. One was seen in Texas in 2008, which was the first time one had been spotted in the United States or North America. Another bird was reported in Chicago in 2012.
Like many other Elaenia birds, the white-crested elaenia lives in different kinds of wooded areas. In the Andes, where they breed, they like the edges of forests, areas where new trees are growing, and scrubland. In some places, they prefer drier valleys between mountains. In northwestern Argentina, they live in smaller trees and farm areas, usually at higher elevations (1500 to 3500 meters or 4900 to 11500 feet).
What Do They Eat and How Do They Live?
The white-crested elaenia often eats small fruits, especially when it's not breeding. But it also eats small insects. They have a varied diet and can eat grass, berries, seeds, and nuts too.
These birds usually like to be alone. However, when they are not breeding, they might gather with other fruit-eating birds at trees full of fruit. During their migration, groups of up to 100 birds have been seen together!
The oldest white-crested elaenia found through banding studies lived for eight years and two months. This helps scientists learn about how long these birds can live.
