Slate-throated Gnatcatcher

Slate-throated Gnatcatcher

Polioptila schistaceigula

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

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

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

69 Verified sightings at Darién National Park From 2019 to 2026
79 In all 2 parks
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Slate-throated Gnatcatcher

The slate-throated gnatcatcher (Polioptila schistaceigula) is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. The slate-throated gnatcatcher is monotypic. It is apparently sister the Guianan gnatcatcher (Polioptila guaianensis) group and at one time it was suggested that they were conspecific.

The slate-throated gnatcatcher is 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long and weighs approximately 6 g (0.21 oz). Its crown, the sides of the head, and the upperparts are slate gray, darker on the back. Its cheeks are whitish, its throat and breast sooty, and its belly and flanks white. Its tail is mostly black with some white on the outermost feathers. The sexes are alike.

The slate-throated gnatcatcher is found from central and eastern Panama south through western Colombia into northwestern Ecuador. It inhabits humid primary forest, mature secondary forest, and their borders. In elevation it mostly ranges up to 750 m (2,460 ft).

The slate-throated gnatcatcher's diet is poorly known, but it is probably small arthropods like those of other Polioptila... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:10

Ecuador · 1997

© Olaf Jahn · XC262479 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Display song?0:16

Ecuador · 1997

© Mitch Lysinger · XC261088 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song?0:47

Ecuador · 2010

© Andrew Spencer · XC58523 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
2 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Slate-throated Gnatcatcher in Darién National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Slate-throated Gnatcatcher sighting in Darién National Park on a given day, based on 69 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 111th 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 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Slate-throated Gnatcatcher in Darién National Park?

June and December

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Slate-throated Gnatcatcher in Darién National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May and October, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Slate-throated Gnatcatcher?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Slate-throated Gnatcatcher 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 Slate-throated Gnatcatcher?

Yes

Of the 2 parks where we can rate Slate-throated Gnatcatcher sightings, Darién National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).

Where does the Slate-throated Gnatcatcher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Slate-throated Gnatcatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Darién National Park (69 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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