The greenish elaenia (Myiopagis viridicata) is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Mexico, every Central American country, and every mainland South American country except Chile and French Guiana. It has also occurred as a vagrant in southern Texas.
Taxonomy and systematics
The greenish elaenia has these 10 subspecies:
M. v. jaliscensis Nelson, 1900
M. v. minima Nelson, 1898
M. v. placens (Sclater, PL, 1859)
M. v. pacifica (Brodkorb, 1943)
M. v. accola Bangs, 1902
M. v. pallens Bangs, 1902
M. v. restricta Todd, 1952
M. v. zuliae Zimmer, JT & Phelps, WH, 1955
M. v. implacens (Sclater, PL, 1862)
M. v. viridicata (Vieillot, 1817)
The subspecies found north and west of the Andes (M. v. jaliscensis through M. v. pallens in the above list) differ genetically from the others and might better be treated as a separate species.
Description
The greenish elaenia is 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 11 to 13 g (0.39 to 0.46 oz). The sexes have essentially the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies M. v. viridicata have a greenish olive crown with a faint grayish tinge and a partially concealed bright yellow stripe along its middle. (Males have a larger yellow patch than females.) Adults have a dark loral streak, a whitish gray supercilium, a partial white eyering, and grizzled whitish ear coverts. Their upperparts are olive-green. Their wings are dusky with yellowish edges on the inner flight feathers and tips on the coverts. Their tail is dusky olive. Their throat is pale gray to whitish, their breast pale grayish white with variable light olive streaks, and their belly and undertail coverts pale yellow. Both sexes of all subspecies have a dark brown to reddish brown iris, a short brownish black or black bill with a lighter base to the mandible, and blackish to dark gray legs and feet.
The other subspecies of the greenish elaenia differ only slightly from the nominate and each...
