Masked Gnatcatcher

Masked Gnatcatcher

Polioptila dumicola

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at El Impenetrable National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

131 Verified sightings at El Impenetrable National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,018 In all 9 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Masked Gnatcatcher

The masked gnatcatcher (Polioptila dumicola) is a small songbird in the family Polioptilidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The last subspecies differs in both plumage and voice from the other two and may represent a separate species.

The masked gnatcatcher is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 5 to 7 g (0.18 to 0.25 oz), larger than most other gnatcatchers. The nominate male has a large black mask with a thin white line below it. Its forehead, crown, nape, and upperparts are blue-gray. Its tail is mostly black with white outer feathers. Its throat is pale gray fading to whitish on the belly. The nominate female does not have a mask but instead a black crescent down from the eye. Its upperparts are duller and not as bluish. P. d. saturata is darker than the nominate; it is slate gray overall that is lighter on the underside. The P. d. berlepschi male is paler than the nominate, dull gray rather than blue-gray above and white below, and has a narrower mask... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:54

Brazil · 2026

© Robson Silva e Silva · XC1151146 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:10

Argentina · 2025

© Marcos E. Sosa · XC1042946 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:35

Argentina · 2023

© Sabrina Andrea Rendon Anaya · XC863371 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~60%
2 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~50%
3 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~40%
4 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
5 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
6 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
7 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
8 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
9 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Rosario 🇦🇷 Argentina
~60%
2 Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Argentina
~50%
3 Asuncion 🇵🇾 Paraguay
~40%
4 Goiânia 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
5 Cordoba 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
6 Brasilia 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
7 Montevideo 🇺🇾 Uruguay
~10%
8 Belém 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
9 Campo Grande 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
10 Porto Alegre 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Masked Gnatcatcher in El Impenetrable National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Gnatcatcher sighting in El Impenetrable National Park on a given day, based on 131 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 36th most-seen of the 219 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Masked Gnatcatcher in El Impenetrable National Park?

July

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Gnatcatcher in El Impenetrable National Park on a given day, against about 30% in January–March and October, the lowest months. That is one of El Impenetrable National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 120 mm in March. December has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Masked Gnatcatcher?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Masked Gnatcatcher sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is El Impenetrable National Park the best place to see a Masked Gnatcatcher?

3rd of 9

Of the 9 parks where we can rate Masked Gnatcatcher sightings, El Impenetrable National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in El Palmar National Park (Argentina, about 60%) and Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 50%). All parks ranked.

Which relatives of the Masked Gnatcatcher live in El Impenetrable National Park?

Same order: Passeriformes

The closest relatives of the Masked Gnatcatcher that you can see in El Impenetrable National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Brazilian Cardinal (about 80%), Blue-gray Saltator (about 80%) and Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Masked Gnatcatcher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Masked Gnatcatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in El Impenetrable National Park (131 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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