The Lesser Elaenia (Elaenia chiriquensis) in the province of Corrientes: a review of its presence in Argentina

Abstract

The Lesser Elaenia (Elaenia chiriquensis) is the least known species of the genus Elaenia in Argentina. In the country it has specific records based on twenty-eight museum skins collected in the province of Misiones. In addition, a specimen was collected in the province of Jujuy, and a photograph would document the species in Corrientes. However, these last two pieces of evidence are controversial, the Jujuy specimen is not accessible in known collections and the reported tail length exceeds the morphological data of E. chiriquensis in comparison, and the photograph taken in Corrientes would not be sufficient to confirm the identification of the species. We present a record based on audio recordings taken on November 7, 2022 in the Rincón de Santa María Natural Reserve, northeast of the province of Corrientes, Argentina. This record constitutes the most solid evidence achieved in recent decades, confirming and updating the presence at the national and provincial level. We comment on the history of previous records discussing those that present doubts.