Black-cheeked Gnateater

Black-cheeked Gnateater

Conopophaga melanops

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Rio de Janeiro

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

82 Verified sightings at Rio de Janeiro
489 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black-cheeked Gnateater

The black-cheeked gnateater (Conopophaga melanops) is a species of bird in the family Conopophagidae endemic to Brazil. The male is distinguished by its orange crown, black face and white throat, while the female has brown plumage.

French naturalist Louis Pierre Vieillot described the black-cheeked gnateater in 1818, giving it the species name melanops from the Ancient Greek words melas "black" and ops "face". The black-cheeked gnateater has three subspecies:

It exhibits sexual dimorphism, as the male has distinctive coloured plumage and the female is a more overall brown in color. The male has a black face and cheeks with a contrasting orange crown and white throat. The upperparts are brownish and the underparts pale grey, the belly feathers more white and the flanks tending to buff. The female is more brown above with a white eyebrow and buff patch on... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:33

Brazil · 2025

© Augusto Matheus dos Santos · XC1023796 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:48

Brazil · 2022

© Paulo Sillig · XC791828 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Chamado0:59

Brazil · 2018

© Caio Brito · XC556237 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
2 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
3 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Santos 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
2 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black-cheeked Gnateater in Rio de Janeiro?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-cheeked Gnateater sighting in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, based on 82 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 133rd most-seen of the 278 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black-cheeked Gnateater in Rio de Janeiro?

April

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-cheeked Gnateater in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Black-cheeked Gnateater?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-cheeked Gnateater 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 Rio de Janeiro the best place to see a Black-cheeked Gnateater?

2nd of 2

Of the 2 cities where we can rate Black-cheeked Gnateater sightings, Rio de Janeiro ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Santos (Brazil, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Black-cheeked Gnateater live in Rio de Janeiro?

Same order: Passeriformes

The closest relatives of the Black-cheeked Gnateater that you can see in Rio de Janeiro (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Great Kiskadee (about 90%), Palm Tanager (about 80%) and Southern House Wren (about 80%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Black-cheeked Gnateater sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black-cheeked Gnateater is recorded against all the birds logged in Rio de Janeiro (82 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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