Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed)

Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed)

Myiopagis caniceps

Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Darién National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

49 Verified sightings at Darién National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,164 In all 10 parks
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed)

The grey-headed elaenia or Atlantic grey elaenia (Myiopagis caniceps) is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. What is now the grey-headed elaenia was originally called the "straw-crested flycatcher" (Tyrannula caniceps). It was later moved into genus Myiopagis and called the grey elaenia. Soon thereafter Myiopagis was merged into genus Elaenia and other taxa were moved from species status to become subspecies of it. The move into Elaenia was reversed in the mid-twentieth century, and Myiopagis was confirmed by genetic analysis to be the grey elaenia's proper genus.

The grey-headed elaenia's further taxonomy is unsettled. These systems named the three species the grey(gray)-headed... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:21

Brazil · 2026

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC1162212 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:45

Brazil · 2026

© Robson Silva e Silva · XC1084279 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:11

Brazil · 2022

© Nunes D´Acosta · XC723749 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
2 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
3 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
4 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
5 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
6 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
7 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
8 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
9 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
10 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Goiânia 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
2 Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
3 Brasilia 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed) in Darién National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed) sighting in Darién National Park on a given day, based on 49 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 135th most-seen of the 397 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed) in Darién National Park?

November

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed) in Darién National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April, June–July and October, the lowest months. That is one of Darién National Park's wettest months, with about 450 mm of rain against 100 mm in February.

What time of day is best to see a Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed)?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed) sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Darién National Park the best place to see a Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed)?

2nd of 10

Of the 10 parks where we can rate Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed) sightings, Darién National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Chapada Diamantina National Park (Brazil, about 20%).

Where does the Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed) sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Gray Elaenia (Gray-headed) is recorded against all the birds logged in Darién National Park (49 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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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