Rhytipterna simplex
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The greyish mourner (Rhytipterna simplex) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The greyish mourner was originally described as Muscicapa simplex, mistakenly placing it with the Old World flycatchers. It was later transferred to genus Rhytipterna that had been erected in 1850. It shares that genus with the pale-bellied mourner (R. immunda) and rufous mourner (R. holerythra). The greyish and rufous mourners apparently form a superspecies.
The greyish mourner is 19.5 to 20.5 cm (7.7 to 8.1 in) long and weighs 33 to 38 g (1.2 to 1.3 oz). Males of the nominate subspecies have a gray head with a hint of a crest at the rear of the crown. Their upperparts, wings, and tail are gray with a tinge of brown on the wings and tail. Their throat is light gray and their underparts slightly darker gray but lighter than the upperparts; their belly has a slight yellowish green tinge... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brownsberg Nature Park | 🇸🇷 Suriname | |
| 2 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 7 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 9 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grayish Mourner sighting in Yasuní National Park on a given day, based on 154 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 245th most-seen of the 533 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Grayish Mourner in Yasuní National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to June, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grayish Mourner sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Grayish Mourner sightings, Yasuní National Park ranks 6th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Brownsberg Nature Park (Suriname, about 10%), Tambopata National Reserve (Peru, about 10%) and Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, about 10%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Grayish Mourner that you can see in Yasuní National Park (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Tropical Kingbird (about 50%), Great Kiskadee (about 50%) and Lesser Kiskadee (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grayish Mourner is recorded against all the birds logged in Yasuní National Park (154 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.
