Yellow-bellied Elaenia - BirdForum Opus

Nominate subspecies
Photo © by Rodrigo Conte
Brasilia, Brazil, August 2014

Elaenia flavogaster

Identification

Subspecies pallididorsalis
Photo © by Stanley Jones
Camp Darién, Darién Province, Panama, February 2018

16–17 cm (6¼-6¾ in)

• Olive-brown upperparts
• White eye ring
• Bushy divided crest
• White crown patch
• Pale throat
• Grey breast
• Pale yellow lower underparts

Distribution

Central and South America and the Caribbean
Central America: found in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama
Caribbean (West Indies): Lesser Antilles, Grenadines, St. Vincent, Grenada, Trinidad, Tobago,
South America: Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized:^[1]

• E.f. subpagana:

• Southern Mexico (Oaxaca and Veracruz) to Costa Rica; Coiba Island.

• E.f. pallididorsalis:

• Panama; Cébaco and Pearl Islands

• E.f. flavogaster:

• Colombia to the southern Lesser Antilles (St. Vincent to Grenada), Trinidad, the Guianas, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina

• E.f. semipagana:

• Tropical western Ecuador and northwest Peru; Isla Puná

Habitat

A wide variety of woodland, including second growth, woodland edges, scrub, gardens and cultivation.

Behaviour

Breeding

This species is usually a resident, maintaining year-round territories and with an extended breeding season.

They make a cup-shaped nest. The clutch contains of two cream eggs which have reddish blotches at the larger end. They are incubated by the female for 16 days. The youngsters fledge after a further 16 days.

Diet

Their main diet consists of berries and insects.

They forage alone or in pairs, though occasionally flocks gather at fruiting trees.

References

1. Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2024. IOC World Bird List (v 15.1). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.15.1. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
3. Morton & Stutchbury (2001): Behavioral Ecology of Tropical Birds. Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-675556-6
4. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2014 and June 2017)
5. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Yellow-bellied Elaenia. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Yellow-bellied_Elaenia

External Links

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