The Yellow-bellied Elaenias, Elaenia flavogaster, belongs to the tyrant flycatcher family.
Distribution / Habitat:
Its range includes southern Mexico through Central and South America, as far as northern Argentina. They can also be found in Trinidad and Tobago.
They can commonly be seen in semi-open woodland, scrub, and gardens.
Breeding / Nesting:
They build a cup nest and the female lays two cream-colored eggs with reddish blotches at the larger end. The hen incubates for 16 days. The young fledge after about 16 days.
Description:
Adults are 16.5cm long and weigh 24g. They have olive-brown upperparts, a white eye ring, a bushy divided crest, and a white crown patch in the parting. The throat is pale and the breast greyish, with pale yellow lower underparts.
Call / Song:
Yellow-bellied Elaenia are noisy and conspicuous. The call is a nasal breeer, and the song is a wheezing zhu-zhee-zhu-zhee.
Diet:
The Yellow-bellied Elaenia feeds on berries and on insects, sometimes caught in flight.
