Myiopagis cinerea
The Amazonian Elaenia (Myiopagis cinerea) is a subtle yet elegant member of the tyrant flycatcher family, known for its unassuming gray and olive plumage. Measuring approximately 12.5 cm (5 inches) in length and weighing around 9-11 grams, it exhibits a grayish head that can appear slightly crested, an olive-gray back, and whitish underparts often tinged with a pale yellowish wash on the flanks and vent. Distinctive field marks include a conspicuous pale eye-ring and two prominent whitish win...
Found in humid evergreen forest, secondary growth, and forest edge, often near water bodies, from lowlands up to approximately 1,500 meters in elevation.
Feeds predominantly on small insects, gleaned from foliage or captured in short aerial sallies, supplemented with small fruits.
Primarily a diurnal species, the Amazonian Elaenia is generally observed alone or in pairs, though it frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks, particularly in the mid-to-upper canopy. Its foraging strategy involves active gleaning of insects from foliage and twigs, occasional hover-gleanin...
The Amazonian Elaenia exhibits a broad but somewhat disjunct distribution across the humid evergreen forests of South America. Its primary range encompasses much of the Amazon Basin, extending through southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and vast areas of Amazon...
Least Concern
- Despite its widespread range, the Amazonian Elaenia's quiet nature and preference for the canopy make it surprisingly difficult to spot without a keen ear for its subtle calls. - It frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks, acting as a 'follower' species that benefits from the larger grou...