Southern Scrub-Flycatcher

Southern Scrub-Flycatcher

Sublegatus modestus

Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Santa Cruz de la Sierra

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

5 Verified sightings at Santa Cruz de la Sierra
133 In all 8 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Southern Scrub-Flycatcher

The southern scrub flycatcher (Sublegatus modestus) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Other sources also place it in Guyana, Suriname, as a non-breeding visitor to Colombia, and as a vagrant in Ecuador.

What are now the southern scrub flycatcher, northern scrub flycatcher (S. arenarum), and Amazonian scrub flycatcher (S. obscurior) were previously members of the single species named scrub flycatcher with the binomial S. modestus. The further taxonomy of the three scrub flycatchers has not been fully resolved.

At least one author has treated the Amazonian scrub flycatcher as a third subspecies. The southern scrub flycatcher is 13 to 15 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 9.5 to 13 g (0.34 to 0.46 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a grayish brown crown that sometimes erects as a shaggy crest. Their face is mostly whitish to pale... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:10

Brazil · 2026

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC1141910 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:27

Uruguay · 2017

© Pedro Rinaldi · XC764050 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Dawn song0:48

Argentina · 2013

© Peter Boesman · XC273188 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
2 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
3 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
4 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
5 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
6 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
7 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
8 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cordoba 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
2 Santa Cruz de la Sierra 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
3 Asuncion 🇵🇾 Paraguay
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Southern Scrub-Flycatcher in Santa Cruz de la Sierra?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Scrub-Flycatcher sighting in Santa Cruz de la Sierra on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 192nd most-seen of the 208 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Southern Scrub-Flycatcher in Santa Cruz de la Sierra?

September

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Scrub-Flycatcher in Santa Cruz de la Sierra on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months. That is one of Santa Cruz de la Sierra's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 170 mm in January.

What time of day is best to see a Southern Scrub-Flycatcher?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Scrub-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 Santa Cruz de la Sierra the best place to see a Southern Scrub-Flycatcher?

Among the best

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Southern Scrub-Flycatcher sightings, Santa Cruz de la Sierra ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cordoba (Argentina, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Southern Scrub-Flycatcher live in Santa Cruz de la Sierra?

Same family: Tyrannidae

The closest relatives of the Southern Scrub-Flycatcher that you can see in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Great Kiskadee (about 50%), Tropical Kingbird (about 30%) and Eastern Kingbird (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Southern Scrub-Flycatcher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Southern Scrub-Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (5 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.

← Back to Santa Cruz de la Sierra