Masked Gnatcatcher

Masked Gnatcatcher

Polioptila dumicola

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Brasilia

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

139 Verified sightings at Brasilia
2,018 In all 9 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Masked Gnatcatcher

The masked gnatcatcher (Polioptila dumicola) is a small songbird in the family Polioptilidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The last subspecies differs in both plumage and voice from the other two and may represent a separate species.

The masked gnatcatcher is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 5 to 7 g (0.18 to 0.25 oz), larger than most other gnatcatchers. The nominate male has a large black mask with a thin white line below it. Its forehead, crown, nape, and upperparts are blue-gray. Its tail is mostly black with white outer feathers. Its throat is pale gray fading to whitish on the belly. The nominate female does not have a mask but instead a black crescent down from the eye. Its upperparts are duller and not as bluish. P. d. saturata is darker than the nominate; it is slate gray overall that is lighter on the underside. The P. d. berlepschi male is paler than the nominate, dull gray rather than blue-gray above and white below, and has a narrower mask... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:54

Brazil · 2026

© Robson Silva e Silva · XC1151146 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:10

Argentina · 2025

© Marcos E. Sosa · XC1042946 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:35

Argentina · 2023

© Sabrina Andrea Rendon Anaya · XC863371 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~60%
2 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~50%
3 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~40%
4 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
5 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
6 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
7 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
8 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
9 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Rosario 🇦🇷 Argentina
~60%
2 Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Argentina
~50%
3 Asuncion 🇵🇾 Paraguay
~40%
4 Goiânia 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
5 Cordoba 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
6 Brasilia 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
7 Montevideo 🇺🇾 Uruguay
~10%
8 Belém 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
9 Campo Grande 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
10 Porto Alegre 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Masked Gnatcatcher in Brasilia?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Gnatcatcher sighting in Brasilia on a given day, based on 139 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 33rd most-seen of the 141 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Masked Gnatcatcher in Brasilia?

June–August and October–February

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Gnatcatcher in Brasilia on a given day, against about 10% in March–May and September, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Masked Gnatcatcher?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Masked Gnatcatcher sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Brasilia the best place to see a Masked Gnatcatcher?

6th of 11

Of the 11 cities where we can rate Masked Gnatcatcher sightings, Brasilia ranks 6th at about 20%. The best odds are in Rosario (Argentina, about 60%), Buenos Aires (Argentina, about 50%) and Asuncion (Paraguay, about 40%).

Which relatives of the Masked Gnatcatcher live in Brasilia?

Same order: Passeriformes

The closest relatives of the Masked Gnatcatcher that you can see in Brasilia (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Rufous Hornero (about 90%), Great Kiskadee (about 90%) and Saffron Finch (about 80%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Masked Gnatcatcher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Masked Gnatcatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Brasilia (139 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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