FIRST NORTH AMERICAN RECORD OF WHITE-CRESTED ELAENIA AT SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEXAS 
Figure 6. In optimal light, the White-crested Elaenla's faintly yellowish sides and un- 
dertail coverts were visible, though this photograph is one of few that shows these 
features clearly (compare Figure 5, in which the underparts look much darker). 
Photograph by Fernando Cerra. 
ture and pitch. Other taxa of White-crested 
Elaenia have calls that sound similar but bur- 
rier; good comparisons of these calls are avail- 
able online (<http://www.xeno-canto.org/ 
browse.php?query=Elaenia-(-albiceps>). 
Behavior 
The elaenia first seemed to appear in response 
to a whistled imitation byjones of Eerruginous 
Pygmy-Owl. The bird flew within hve meters 
of the observer with its crest raised and ap- 
peared agitated. Throughout that afternoon 
and the subsequent day, observers reported 
that the bird frequently seemed overly alert, 
looking in all directions with crest raised. This 
Habitat and range 
The chilensis subspecies of 
Elaenia albiceps breeds in 
forests of southern beech 
(Nothofagus), deciduous wood- 
land borders, shrubby clear- 
ings, cultivated areas, and 
urban areas with larger trees of 
central to southern Chile and west to south- 
ernmost Argentina, being absent from the 
Patagonian Steppe (Ridgely and Tudor 1994; 
Eigure 11). Chilensis is entirely migratory, 
with most of the population spending austral 
winters primarily in the Andes north to north- 
ern Peru (Schulenberg et al. 2007) and smaller 
numbers wintering in southern and eastern 
Brazil (Kevin Zimmer, pers. comm.). A hand- 
ful of records exist from Amazonia in Peru 
(Thomas Schulenberg, pers. comm.) and 
Brazil (Kevin Zimmer, pers. comm.). Ex- 
tralimital records include three from Colom- 
bia (E Gary Stiles, pers. comm.), two from the 
Ealkland Islands, and one seen llying south- 
happened during feeding forays 
when the bird was observed tak- 
ing and consuming the drupe- 
like fruits of Texas Lantana and 
of Pigeon Berry (Rivina humilis) 
and also upon interaction with 
two Eastern Phoebes. At times, 
the bird would perch high in the 
larger bushes with crest raised, 
but more frequently it would sit 
quietly in the understory for 
several minutes at a time. It 
would also disappear into the 
thick cover for minutes at a 
time. 
ward offshore half-way to the Shetland Islands 
off Antarctica (Ridgely and Tudor 1994). The 
species’ normal migration, along with these 
extralimital records, indicate that chilensis is 
an accomplished migrant and capable of long- 
distance flight, perhaps as much as 5500 kilo- 
meters between nesting and wintering areas 
(the distance from Padre Island, Texas to 
northern Peru is about 4100 kilometers). 
Discussion 
The huge white coronal patch in an obviously 
crested medium-sized flycatcher eliminates 
all tyrant flycatchers except for those in the 
genus Elaenia. Of these, Yellow-bellied Elae- 
nia (E. flavogaster) is a notably larger, longer- 
tailed bird that has a differently patterned 
crest that is also different in shape (“strag- 
glier” at the rear), with most of the white con- 
centrated at the rear of the crest. That species 
has obvious yellow on the belly and different 
vocalizations. There are but three Elaenia taxa 
that loosely match this bird: Small-billed (E. 
panirosths) , Sierran (E. pallatangae) , and 
White-crested (subspecies, from north to 
south, are: griseigularis, diversa, unibambae, 
albiceps, modesta, and chilensis). All other 
members of this genus can be ruled out, as 
they lack a prominent crest with obvious 
white center and/or strong white wing bars. 
Of these, pallatangae is non-migratory and re- 
stricted to mid-elevation slopes of the north- 
ern Andes. Its vocalizations are quite similar 
to chilensis (per Alvaro Jaramillo, these two 
taxa are closely related), but the crest is 
smaller, with the white center narrow and of- 
ten obscured; also the yellow wash on the un- 
derparts is more extensive, and the wing bars 
are not so prominent. E. parvirostris is an aus- 
Figures 7, 8. To observers of the White-crested Elaenia at South Padre Island, it seemed proportioned most like an Empidonax, with a short, strongly notched tail and medium-length primary projection, 
while the shape of the crested head appeared intermediate, in North American context, between that of Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet and Hammond's flycatcher. Even when the bird was at rest, its 
crest was clearly visible, and so it never appeared round-headed. Photographs by Steve Bentsen. 
12 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
