Polioptila dumicola
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Emas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 4 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Cordoba | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Brasilia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 8 | Belém | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Gnatcatcher sighting in Serra da Canastra National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 278th most-seen of the 294 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Gnatcatcher in Serra da Canastra National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
7th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Masked Gnatcatcher sightings, Serra da Canastra National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in El Palmar National Park (Argentina, about 60%), Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 50%) and El Impenetrable National Park (Argentina, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Masked Gnatcatcher that you can see in Serra da Canastra National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Rufous-collared Sparrow (about 80%), Saffron Finch (about 80%) and Chalk-browed Mockingbird (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Masked Gnatcatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Serra da Canastra National Park (8 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.
