Gray Silky-flycatcher

Gray Silky-flycatcher

Ptilogonys cinereus

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Puebla

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

202 Verified sightings at Puebla
174 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
December 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 Puebla?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Silky-flycatcher sighting in Puebla on a given day, based on 202 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 35th most-seen of the 164 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 Puebla?

December

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Silky-flycatcher in Puebla on a given day, against about 10% in April–May and July, the lowest months. That is one of Puebla's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 170 mm in September.

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 Puebla the best place to see a Gray Silky-flycatcher?

4th of 5

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Gray Silky-flycatcher sightings, Puebla ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Toluca (México, about 30%), Mexico City (México, about 30%) and Guatemala City (Guatemala, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Gray Silky-flycatcher live in Puebla?

Same order: Passeriformes

The closest relatives of the Gray Silky-flycatcher that you can see in Puebla (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Great-tailed Grackle (about 90%), House Finch (about 80%) and Bewick's Wren (about 80%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

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 Puebla (202 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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