Elaenia
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Yellow-bellied Olive Tyrant ( Elaenia flavogaster ) |
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| Sundevall , 1836 |
Elaenia is a speciesof birdrich in species belonging tothe tyrant family within the order of the passerine birds . Thegenus was first described in 1836 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Jakob Sundevall . Their representatives inhabit a number of different habitats in Central and South America and the Caribbean . The name Elaenia comes from the ancient Greek term elaineos , which roughly means "oily" and refers to the mostly olive-colored basic color of the plumage of birds.
features
Tyrants of the genus Elaenia are small to medium-sized birds that can usually reach a size in the range of 12 to 20 cm when fully grown. Most species have predominantly olive-colored plumage, which is marked with two to three easily recognizable wing bands. A number of species show a color, especially on the lower abdomen, which turns yellow. In addition, well- developed hoods and easily recognizable dark circles are recurring features, which, however, are not found in all representatives. The beaks of the birds are short and strong, characteristic is a paler coloration of the lower bill compared to the upper part of the bill.
In general, the individual species are difficult to distinguish from a purely visual point of view, and factors such as the geographical distribution area, the habitat in which the bird was found and its vocalizations must often be used to clearly identify the species. To make matters worse, due to slight morphological differences, the differentiation of species belonging to Elaenia from other tyrants can be difficult. Furthermore, many species are migratory birds , the range of which can vary depending on the season. Some visual clues may include the presence of a hood, the number of wing bands, or the coloration on the abdomen.
behavior
The birds are mostly tree-dwellers and can often be found sitting upright on branches and twigs. They inhabit forests and more open shrubbery landscapes, although they seem to prefer drier areas. Not infrequently they make themselves noticeable through loud and persistent singing . Elaenia representatives basically do not form traditional swarms, but on trees with many fruits it can happen that a large number of them can be found at the same time. In addition to fruits, mainly insects serve as food.
Spread and endangerment
The representatives of the genus are exclusively New World birds, their main area of distribution is in South America, where in some regions up to six species share the same habitat. In addition, some species also colonize Central America and the Caribbean island world. The IUCN currently classifies all species as not endangered (status least concern ), usually the organization justifies this with their large distribution area. For many representatives, however, a generally decreasing population trend is also noted.
Systematics
Carl Jakob Sundevall described the genus for the first time in 1836 in an article in Kungl. Svenska vetenskapsakademiens handlingar . The type specimen was an individual of the yellow-bellied olive tyrant ( Elaenia flavogaster ). At the moment there are 22 species assigned to Elaenia . The Chilean , the brown-backed and the paraná olive tyrant were originally described as subspecies of other species, but based on recent research since the 1990s, they have been elevated to the rank of a separate species.
- Brown-backed olive tyrant ( E. brachyptera )
- Brown-sided olive tyrant ( E. cristata )
- Brown tyrant ( E. pelzelni )
- Chilean olive tyrant ( E. chilensis )
- Three-banded olive tyrant ( E. parvirostris )
- Yellow-bellied Olive Tyrant ( E. flavogaster )
- Gray breasted olive tyrant ( E. spectabilis )
- Gray-cheeked olive tyrant ( E. chiriquensis )
- Hispanic Olive Tyrant ( E. fallax )
- Highland olive tyrant ( E. obscura )
- North Andean olive tyrant ( E. frantzii )
- Noronha olive tyrant ( E. ridleyana )
- Parana olive tyrant ( E. sordida )
- Giant Olive Tyrant ( E. dayi )
- Rust-necked olive tyrant ( E. ruficeps )
- Sierra olive tyrant ( E. pallatangae )
- Tepuityrann ( E. olivina )
- White-bellied olive tyrant ( E. albiceps )
- White-chin olive tyrant ( E. martinica )
- Slate tyrant ( E. strepera )
- Plain tyrant ( E. mesoleuca )
- Scale olive tyrant ( E. gigas )
literature
- Robert S. Ridgely , Guy Tudor : The Suboscine Passerines . In: The Birds of South America . tape 2 . University of Texas Press, Austin, TX 1994, ISBN 0-292-77063-4 , pp. 428-438 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ JA Jobling: Elaenia. In: hbw.com. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive, 2019, accessed December 4, 2019 .
- ↑ AV Chaves, CL Clozato, DR Lacerda, EHR Sari, FR Santos: Molecular taxonomy of Brazilian tyrant-flycatchers (Passeriformes: Tyrannidae) . In: Molecular Ecology Resources . tape 8 , 2008, p. 1169–1177 , doi : 10.1111 / j.1755-0998.2008.02218.x .
- ^ Robert S. Ridgely, Guy Tudor: Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America: The Passerines . 1st edition. University of Texas Press, Austin, TX 2009, ISBN 978-0-292-71748-0 , pp. 416 .
- ↑ Elaenia. In: iucnredlist.org. BirdLife International, accessed December 4, 2019 .
- ↑ Carl Jakob Sundevall: Elaenia . In: Kungl. Svenska vetenskapsakademiens handlingar . tape 3 , no. 23 , 1836, pp. 89 .
- ↑ Tyrant flycatchers. In: worldbirdnames.org. IOC World Bird List, accessed December 4, 2019 .