# Caribbean Elaenia

Scientific name: Elaenia martinica

Bird group: [flycatcher](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/flycatcher)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/214/Caribbean-Elaenia

## Identification

The Caribbean elaenia (Elaenia martinica) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae found in the West Indies and parts of Central America. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and heavily degraded former forest.


## Distribution and habitat

The Caribbean Elaenia occurs from Puerto Rico through the 
islands of the eastern Caribbean, 
as well as in the Cayman Islands, 
some of The Bahamas, and 
islands off the Yucatán Peninsula 
(Oberle 2018). It is a common 
resident in Puerto Rico, regularly 
seen in the Boquerón Nature 
Reserve and Guánica State Forest 
(Oberle 2018), and in Vieques 
(Gemmill 2015). The species is 
believed to be a new arrival on 
Puerto Rico, at least on the south 
coast (Faaborg and others 1984), 
likely colonizing from the Lesser 
Antilles where it is common. 
This species is common along 
the lowland dry scrub forests especially along the south 
coast (Oberle 2018). The atlas 
fieldwork yielded a total of 145 
records within 71 hexagons or 15 
percent of the 479 total hexagons 
(see map). Of the 71 hexagons 
where this species was found, 
breeding met the atlas definition 
of confirmed in 13 percent (9) 
of the hexagons, probable in 31 
percent (22), and possible in 55 
percent (39), while the species 
was observed in 1 percent (1) 
of the hexagons but without 
evidence of breeding (see map). Caribbean Elaenia distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones in Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.

## Breeding

The Caribbean Elaenia constructs a shallow cup of twigs nest 
in a shrub or tree (Raffaele       205Caribbean Elaenia/Juí Blancoand others 1998). Atlas results indicate that the breeding activity 
extends throughout the year but 
overall increases from January 
to July (see chart). Results show 
that even though this species 
breeds in all ecological life 
zones, it is most often reported 
from the subtropical dry and 
subtropical moist forest life 
zones (67 and 26 percent of the 
hexagons, respectively) (see 
table and map).

## Conservation

The Caribbean Elaenia is classified as a species of least 
concern by the IUCN (BirdLife 
International 2017). Locally, 
this species is not listed in any 
of the threatened categories of 
PRDNER or USFWS. In Puerto 
Rico, the Caribbean Elaenia has 
a protected habitat in land of 
about 18 percent or 298 km2 of the total area covered by 
the hexagons where evidence 
of breeding was found for this 
species (1673 km2). 

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_214_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_214_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.