Small-billed Elaenia

About the Small-billed Elaenia

The small-billed elaenia (Elaenia parvirostris) is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile, plus Aruba and Trinidad.

The small-billed elaenia is monotypic. The small-billed elaenia is 13 to 15 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in) long. It is a small elaenia without a crest. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a bright olive-green crown with a partially visible white stripe in the middle. They have whitish lores and a thin but distinct white eyering. Their upperparts are bright olive-green. Their wings are dusky with whitish tips on the coverts that show as three wing bars. Their flight feathers have narrow whitish edges.The Small-billed elaenia features a short, stubby beak with a slightly curved upper mandible that is perfectly adapted for snatching insects and plucking small berries. Its bill is notably smaller and more delicate than those of other similar flycatchers, serving as a key identifying feature for birdwatchers in South America. Their tail is dusky. Their throat is gray, their breast a slightly darker gray with sometimes... Wikipedia →