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Choco Elaenia | Myiopagis parambae
Chocó-elenia | Elenia del Chocó
The Choco Elaenia is a small elaenia of the humid forest canopy in which male and female differ clearly: the male is grey with white wing-bars, the female has a grey head and an olive-green back. It was long regarded as part of the Grey Elaenia of South America. In the guide area it occurs only in eastern Panama.
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Voice
A short series of high, clear whistles from the canopy. Its voice is poorly documented in the guide area.
Recording: David Monroy R — CC BY-NC 4.0 · Converted to mp3, mono, full length · iNaturalist
Identification
About 12 cm. Male: head and upperparts dark slate-grey, with a white crown patch that is usually hidden; wings blackish with two broad white wing-bars and white edges to the tertials; underparts pale grey, belly whitish. Female: head grey, back olive-green, wing-bars and tertial edges yellow, underparts grey becoming pale yellow on the belly. Bill slender and dark.
Confusion species
Forest Elaenia Myiopagis gaimardii resembles the female but has an olive-green rather than grey head and a yellow crown patch; in that species the sexes are alike. Greenish Elaenia Myiopagis viridicata lacks distinct wing-bars.
Habitat
Canopy and edges of humid lowland and foothill forest, also tall secondary forest. It gleans insects from the foliage, often in mixed flocks with other canopy birds.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the vegetation units of Mexico and Central America.
Range and movements
In the guide area only in eastern Panama, mainly in Darién and eastern Panamá province. Outside the guide area in western Colombia and north-western Ecuador.
- Resident
- Summer visitor (c. Apr–Sep)
- Winter visitor (c. Oct–Mar)
- Passage (Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov)
- dark = core range, pale = thinly spread
How and when to look
Search canopy mixed flocks in Darién for a small grey tyrannulet with striking white wing-bars. Sound recordings and photographs are valuable, as little is known about this species in the guide area.
Conservation status
Not threatened. Scarce and poorly known in the guide area; in the Chocó region vulnerable to deforestation.
Scientific name
Myiopagis parambae | (Hellmayr, 1904) (GBIF: Myiopagis caniceps)
Hellmayr described the species in 1904 as Serpophaga parambae; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. The genus Myiopagis was introduced in 1888 by Salvin & Godman. Myiopagis is Greek, from muia 'fly' and pagis 'trap, snare': 'fly-trap'. parambae refers to Hacienda Paramba in Imbabura, Ecuador, the type locality. The specimen the first description was based on came from Hacienda Paramba (1,070 m), Imbabura, Ecuador.