Gray Silky-flycatcher

Gray Silky-flycatcher

Ptilogonys cinereus

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Toluca

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

52 Verified sightings at Toluca
174 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
April 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 Toluca?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Silky-flycatcher sighting in Toluca on a given day, based on 52 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 27th most-seen of the 118 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 Toluca?

April and June

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Silky-flycatcher in Toluca on a given day, against about 20% in January, March, September and November, 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 Toluca the best place to see a Gray Silky-flycatcher?

Yes

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Gray Silky-flycatcher sightings, Toluca has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Mexico City (México, about 30%) and Guatemala City (Guatemala, about 20%).

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

Same order: Passeriformes

The closest relatives of the Gray Silky-flycatcher that you can see in Toluca (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are House Finch (about 80%), Canyon Towhee (about 80%) and Bushtit (about 70%), 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 Toluca (52 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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