Greenish Elaenia, Myiopagis viridicata

Greenish Elaenia, Myiopagis viridicata jaliscensis. Photograph taken within the greater Alamos area, Sonora, December 2018. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F. Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Background and Identification

The Greenish Elaenia, Myiopagis viridicata jaliscensis, is one of ten subspecies of Greenish Elaenia, five of which are found in Mexico. They are members of the Tyrannidae Family of Tyrant Flycatchers, which has four hundred twenty-five global members placed in one hundred and one genera, and in one of seven global species of the Myiopagis Genus. They are known in Mexico as fiofio verdoso.

The Greenish Elaenis is small in stature. They are olive above with a plain face and a grayish to white throat and upper breast, a yellow crown patch, and a pale-yellow lower breast and belly. They are otherwise unpatterned and their wings lack bars and have subtle yellowed margins. Their bill is short and brownish black or black with a lighter colored base, their iris is dark brown to reddish brown, their legs and feet are blackish to dark gray, and their tail is long.

Habitat and Geographical Range

The Greenish Elaenia is found in open woodlands and forest edges ranging from humid tropical evergreen forests to tropical deciduous forests and scrub as solitary individuals or in pairs. They are non-migratory year-round residents that are inconspicuous, and often overlooked. They are found at elevations up to 1,800 m (5,900 feet). They forage on insects with their diets supplemented with seasonal fruits, seeds, and insect eggs. Their unique song is utilized as an aide for identification in the field. Their life span has not been determined. The Greenish Elaenia has been poorly studied and very little about their biology and behavioral patterns has been documented.

The Greenish Elaenia is a permanent resident of both the Atlantic and Pacific Slopes ranging from Nayarit, southern Durango and southern Tamaulipas, south to Guatemala. The jaliscensis subspecies is found from southern Durango and Nayarit south to Guerrero and southern Oaxaca.

Common Misidentifications

Conservation Status

From a conservation perspective the Greenish Elaenia is currently considered to be of Least Concern, with stable widely-distributed populations. Human activity, in general, has not affected their populations. The long-term continual loss of habitat most likely will have negative effects on some of the subspecies.