Polioptila dumicola
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Emas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 4 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Cordoba | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Brasilia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 8 | Belém | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Gnatcatcher sighting in Montevideo on a given day, based on 289 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 52nd most-seen of the 178 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Gnatcatcher in Montevideo on a given day, against under 5% in December, the lowest month.
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.
7th of 11
Of the 11 cities where we can rate Masked Gnatcatcher sightings, Montevideo ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Rosario (Argentina, about 60%), Buenos Aires (Argentina, about 50%) and Asuncion (Paraguay, about 40%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Masked Gnatcatcher that you can see in Montevideo (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Great Kiskadee (about 90%), Rufous Hornero (about 90%) and House Sparrow (about 80%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Masked Gnatcatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Montevideo (289 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.
