EXTRALIMITAL RECORD

A neotropical flies north: the Greenish Elaenia

A I 1 A.M.CDT, May 20, 1984, whilebirding in theHouston Audubon Society's Louis Smith Bird Sanctuary at High Island. GalvestonCounty, Texas, we locateda small and unusualflycatcher that neither of us had seenbetbre on the upperTexas coast. Alter about twenty secondsof ob- servation, Morgan commented that the bird had the appearanceand '}iizz" of an claenia flycatcher from the ncotmpics. Alter approximatelyfive more minutes of verycareful observation, Morgan stat- ed that he believed the bird to be a Green- ish Elaenia (Myiopagus virMicata), a specieshe had observednumerous times in . Feltnor, also familiar with the bird from Mexico, immediately agreed with this identification. During the next tx•cnty minutes, Feltnet began sketchingthe bird and Morgan recorded all the visible field marks and behavioral characteristics. At- temptswere made to photographthe bird, which proved at best difficult. At approximately11:45 a.m. CDT, Morgan left the sanctuaryto placephone calls to Ted L. Eubanks, Jr. and Ron Braun. Both are experiencedbird band- orsand field observerswith experiencein Identifying Myiopagus viridicata isn't easy, but the ncotropics.Morgan suggestedthey then, •hat rare discovery is? cometo the sanctuaryand bring their mist nets.At 2:20 p.m., Ted and Virginia Eu- banks and Ron and Marcia Braun arrived at the High Island sanctuary. Feltnet quickly relocatedthe Myiopagus fly- James G. Morgan and Linda M. Feltnet catcherand all presentobserved it for about two minutes. Eubanks, and the Brauns,having previously seen Greenish Elacnias in Mexico, agreed with our identification.

242 American , Fall 1985 Five mist netswere then set up in the sanctuaryin aneffort to capturethe bird. After the netswere in place. we attempt- ed to lure it into one of the netsby having Eubanksimitate the call of a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl(GlaucMhon brasilianum). The Myiopagusflycatcher quickly react- ed and flew to a perchdirectly over Eu- banks. The bird, obviously agitated, scoldedvigorously in reactionto the owl call. Duringthis exercise, the bird did not fly into the mistnets. We thenleft this areaof the sanctuaryto let the flycatcher return to its normal behavior. At 4:05 p.m., we succeededin netting the flycatcher.With the bird in hand,we notedthe bright yellow crown patch, and the following measurementswere made: length-- 138 ram; wing chord-- 64.4 ram;exposed culmen-- 11.7ram: nostris -- 6.6 ram; width at base of bill -- 4.9 Even at this distanceit is di•'cult to identif3,Myiopagus viridicata. The imitated call of a FerruginousPygnty-Owl agitated the fiw'atcher, who scoldedvigorously .from a nearbyperch. ram; tarsus-- 18.7 mm; tail -- 58.5 min. Photo/JamesG. Morgan Morgan and Eubanks took numerous photographsof thebird in hand.The bird acresand is dominatedby hackberryand Weatherconditions preceding this dis- was then banded(U.S. Fish and Wildlife honeylocust trees with severallarge wa- covery consistedof I V• days of rain Service band number 1590-63597) and ter oaks and numerous mulberry trees and intermittent thunderstorms, which released. Eleven other observers saw the aroundthe edge.The understoryis domi- brought numerousmigrant flycatchers, bird that day. natedby yauponand privet (Ligustrum) thrushes. vireos and warblers to shelter After the presenceof the Greenish and there is extensiveliana among the within the Louis Smith Bird Sanctuary. Elaenia was made known to the birding trees, predominantlygreenbrier vines When and how the Greenish Elaenia ar- community,it was seenby approximate- (smilax). The sanctuaryis locatedat the rived on the upperTexas coast is a matter ly seventy-fiveadditional observers. To southernedge of the small coastaltown of speculation.However, it is interesting the best of our knowledge,the bird was of High Island, Texas, at a distanceof to note that when Eubanks examined the last observedon May 23, 1984. approximately750 metersfrom the Gulf bird in the hand, he found considerable of Mexico shoreline. Within the wood- depositsof subcutaneousfat in the bird's lot, the bird fed by flycatchingbeneath fulcrum, suggestingthe bird had not the canopy and among the lower recently made a large expenditureof T;OEiTi;•;•12SMITH acres BIRDof woods.sanctuary ex- br,,,,,,•, mainly ...:.L:_ .•.^ southeastern energy. posedgrasses, and gardens. The woodlot portionof the sanctuarywhere the tree The measurements and fourteen color on the sanctuaryis approximatelyeight heightsare normally less than 6-8 meters. transparenciesof this Myiopagus fly- catcher were sent to John P. O'Neill, at the Museum of Natural Science. Louisi- ana State University, and to John W. Fitzpatrick,at theField Museumof Natu- ral History, Chicago. Upon O'Neill's recommendation, the measurements, photographs,and field noteswere also sentto Wesley E. Lanyon, a recognized experton tyrantflycatchers at the Ameri- can Museum of Natural History, New York. Fitzpatrickstated that the bird was a possibleMyiopagus virMicata. He fur- ther commented,"Clearly the bestcandi- date for your rare discoveryis M. viridi- cata, but the photosand measurements in no way rule outM. cotta(Jamaica) which is equally likely. M. flavivertex (Ama- zonia) even would matchthe photos,al- thoughit isn't very likely!" On the other hand, O'Neill stated that there was "no GreenishElaenia (Myiopagus viridicata), High Island. Teras,May 20, 1984.Note the bright doubt" that the bird was a Greenish yellow crownpatch_ Photo/James G. Morgan. Elaenia (M. viridicata). O'Neill believed

Volume39, Number3 243 thatthe blrd'sreaction to the Ferruglnous the lower mandible black with basal (including Puna Island), and lo- Pygmy-Owlcall was an importantfactor quartershading to horncolor, eye color cally from and southeastern in rulingout M. cotta, sinceMorgan had dark(pupil black, iris a verydark reddish south, east of the Andes, to pointedout that no Glaucidiumowl is brown);legs black. southeasternPeru, centralBolivia, north- known from the island of Jamaica As Fitzpatrick has pointed out, the em , and south-centraland (A.O.U., 1983). Lanyon was asked to identificationof Myiopagusflycatchers is easternBrazil (A.O.U., 1983). consider M. viridicata, M. cotta, and M. not an easymatter. However, we believe The photographsof the Greenish fiavivertex. Through correspondence, the bird's measurementsand description, Elaenia remain on file at the Museum of Lanyonstated, "After studyingyour field thecolor photographs, and the bird'sbe- Natural Science, Louisiana State Univer- notes and colored slides, there's no doubt haviorin the presenceof an imitatedcall sity, andthey havebeen deposited in the in my mindthat you had Myiopagus viri- of a FerruginousPygmy-Owl, combine Texas Photo-Record File at Texas A & M dtcata in the hand." to providethe necessaryevidence to es- University. tablishthe identityof the bird we discov- y HEFOLLOWING description wasob- ered as M. viridicata. Two renowned or- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS tained from our in-the-hand exami- nithologists,Lanyon and O'Neill, have nation: crown medium charcoal gray corroboratedour identification. Fitzpa- We thankJohn P. O'Neill andWesley with someolive tonesnear the napeand a trick, a competentmuseum consultant, E. Lanyonfor theirprompt confirmation semi-concealedbright yellow patch; nape believedthat M. viridicata was clearly of our identificationand John W. Fitzpa- grayishto olive green;back bright olive the best candidatefor our discovery. trick for his invaluable comments We green',rump olive green, slighfiy less Thus, we believe our conclusionon the acknowledgethe help of T. Ben Feltner, brightthan the back;tail brownishwith bird's identityis quite sound. who reviewedthe manuscriptand made outer rectriciesgreenish olive brown, manyhelpful suggestions. Special thanks central rectricies medium brown with ru- y o T,E BESTof ourknowledge, this go to Ted Eubanks,Jr., andRon Braun, fous tones; wings olive green with the marksthe first occurrenceof a Myio- whoresponded so quickly to ourrequests primaries edged brighter yellowish- pagusflycatcher in the UnitedStates, in for help in nettingthe bird, the resultof green, upper wing covertsbrownish ol- fact, we believe this providesthe first which allowed this documentation of a Ive, no wing bars; lores dark, forming Greenish Elaenia record in the United new speciesfor the United States. part of an eyeline;superciliary whitish, States.The speciesis normallyresident moreprominent in frontof eye, merging from Nayarit, Durango,San Luis Potosi with white eyelids, then becomingal- and southernTamaulipas, south along LITERATURE CITED bothslopes of Mexico (includingthe Tres mostnonexistent behind the eye; auricu- AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION lars grayish, coveredby dark eyeline, Marias Islands and Yucatan Peninsula), 1983. Check-list of North American then somethin white streakingor fleck- andCentral America (throughout, but in Birds.6th ed. 877 pp. rag; rictal bristles evident; chin light CostaRica confinedprimarily to the Pa- gray; throat gray; breast darker gray, cific slope), to (Pacific slope streakedwith olive at ragged demarca- throughout,including Coiba and the non with belly; belly and crissummedi- Pearl Islands, locally on the Carribbean ß12107 BrokenBough Dr, um lemonyellow; axillarsand underwing slopein Colon andthe Canal Zone), and Houston,TX 77024 (Morgan), covertsmedium lemon yellow; bill basi- in South America from western Colom- 7905-34th Ave. SW, Seattle, cally black,the uppermandible all black, bia south, west of the Andes, to western WA98126 (Feltner)

244 Amencan Birds, Fall 1985