FIRST NORTH AMERICAN RECORD OF WHITE-CRESTED ELAENIA AT SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEXAS 
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Figure 12. In this photograph, it is clear that the tenth (outermost) primary of the Texas 
White-crested Elaenia is longer than the fifth primary, which accords with the wing formula 
for cMens/s established by Zimmer (1941). Photograph by Erik Breden. 
might be that this bird had been in North 
America for some time, only being discovered 
when it appeared at South Padre Island. 
McGehee and Eitniear (2006) discuss the 
use of Zimmer’s (1941) wing formula to iden- 
tify chilensis and establish that the outer pri- 
mary is longer than p5 on this taxon, unlike 
its less-migratory relatives. Erik Breden was 
able to obtain a sharp photograph of the Texas 
elaenia with its wing outstretched (Figure 
12), revealing the primary formula: it is clear 
that the outer primary is longer than p5, as in 
chilensis. 
Summary 
Detailed photographs and sound recordings 
of the South Padre Island elaenia indicate 
Elaenia albiccps chilensis, a first record north 
of South America. The distribution and the 
migratory behavior of the subspecies chilensis 
point to a natural occurrence, as with a num- 
ber of other vagrant records of austral migrant 
species in North America. 
Acknowledgments 
The authors thank Alvaro Jaramillo and Kevin 
Zimmer for their insightful reviews of the 
manuscript. Much appreciated were com- 
ments regarding the initial identification of 
this bird offered by Alvaro jaramillo, Steven 
M. McGehee, Frank Rhiendt, Peter Burke, 
Richard C. Hoyer, and J. Van Remsen, Jr. We 
thank Kevin Zimmer for making a trip to the 
MZUSP in Sao Paulo, Brazil to photograph 
and examine specimens of 
E. albaceps chilensis and E. 
parvirostris; Lufs Fabio Sil- 
veira graciously facilitated 
Zimmer’s access to the 
MZUSP collection. Thomas 
S. Schulenberg, F. Gary 
Stiles, and Kevin Zimmer 
offered comments regard- 
ing the range of chilensis in 
South America. We thank 
Chris Benesh for producing 
the spectrograms from the 
sound recording of this 
bird and chilensis from Bo- 
livia. We thank Mark Lock- 
wood for offering advice 
and support in the writing 
of this paper, Scarlet Colley 
for expeditiously reporting 
the initial sighting to the 
TEXBIRDS listserv, and 
Brad McKinney and Mary 
Gustafson, for responding 
so rapidly to document this 
sighting. 
Above all, we are grateful 
to the founders and supporters of the Valley 
Land Fund (<http://www.valleylandfund.com/>) 
for their vision and stewardship for saving a 
small piece of natural habitat at a critical 
stopover along the route used by many migrant 
passerines. 
Literature cited 
Jaramillo, A., P. Burke, and D. Beadle. 2005. 
Birds of Chile. Princeton University Press, 
Princeton, New Jersey. 
McGehee, S., and J. Eitniear. 2006. Field ver- 
ification of Zimmer’s wing-formula for 
identification of Elaenia albiceps chilensis. 
Boletin SAO 16: 58-63. 
Rheindt, E E., L. Christidis, andj. A. Norman. 
2009. Genetic introgression, incomplete 
lineage sorting, and faulty taxonomy create 
multiple cases of polyphyly in a montane 
clade of tyrant-flycatchers (Elaenia, Tyran- 
nidae). Zoologica Scripta 38: 143-153. 
Ridgely, R. S., and R J. Greenfield. 2001. Birds 
of Ecuador. Cornell University Press, 
Ithaca, New York. 
Ridgely, R. S., and G. Tudor. 1994. The Birds of 
South America. Volume 2. University of 
Texas Press, Austin, Texas. 
Schulenberg, T. S., D. E Stotz, D. E Lane, J. P. 
O’Neill, and T. Parker. 2007. Birds of Pew. 
Princeton University Press. Princeton, New 
Jersey. 
Zimmer, J. T. 1941. Studies of Peruvian 
birds 36. American Museum Novitates 1108: 
1-23. © 
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NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
