Gray Silky-flycatcher

Gray Silky-flycatcher

Ptilogonys cinereus

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Mexico City

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

4,075 Verified sightings at Mexico City
174 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Gray Silky-flycatcher

The grey silky-flycatcher (Ptiliogonys cinereus) is a species of bird in the family Ptiliogonatidae. It is found in Guatemala and Mexico and as a vagrant in Texas, United States. The grey silky-flycatcher has these four subspecies:

The grey silky-flycatcher and the long-tailed silky-flycatcher (P. caudatus) are sister species. The grey silky-flycatcher is 18.5 to 21 cm (7.3 to 8.3 in) long. It is a slender bird with a prominent crest and a long tail. Adult males of the nominate subspecies P. c. cinereus have dusky lores, a white patch above the lores, a thin white eye-ring, and a white or brownish white chin and cheeks on an otherwise blue-gray head and crest. Their upperparts are blue-gray. Their flight feathers are black. Their central pair of tail feathers are black and the rest have a black base, a white upper half, and black lower half. Their throat and breast are gray, their belly whitish, their flanks golden-olive or yellow, and their undertail coverts bright yellow. Adult females have a gray head and... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:21

Mexico · 2022

© -RodrigoFsc · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:14

Mexico · 2025

© Sean Vanderluit · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Recording0:12

Guatemala · 2026

© interianogt · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
2 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
3 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Toluca 🇲🇽 México
~30%
2 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
~30%
3 Guatemala City 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
4 Puebla 🇲🇽 México
~20%
5 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Gray Silky-flycatcher in Mexico City?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Silky-flycatcher sighting in Mexico City on a given day, based on 4,075 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 34th most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Gray Silky-flycatcher in Mexico City?

October

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Silky-flycatcher in Mexico City on a given day, against about 20% in March to May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Gray Silky-flycatcher?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray Silky-flycatcher sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Mexico City the best place to see a Gray Silky-flycatcher?

Among the best

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Gray Silky-flycatcher sightings, Mexico City ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Toluca (México, about 30%).

Where does the Gray Silky-flycatcher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Gray Silky-flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Mexico City (4,075 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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