Foothill Elaenia Myiopagis olallai

As yet a very poorly known species in terms of its ecology and behavior, the Foothill Elaenia was only recently described, after it was famously discovered by the late Paul Coopmans, who tape-recorded an unfamiliar vocalization and swiftly realized that it must belong to an unknown species. Its specific name honors the Ecuadorian collector, Alfonso Manuel Olalla, who with his family made a staggering contribution to our knowledge of Amazonian birds, including raising awareness of the importance of major rivers to shaping biodiversity. Foothill Elaenia is a typically plumaged Myiopagis elaenia found in submontane wet forest at elevations between approximately 900 and 1500 m in the eastern foothills of the Andes, at scattered locations from Venezuela and northern Colombia south through northern and southern Ecuador to central and southern Peru.