Gray Silky Flycatcher, Ptiliogonys cinereus

Gray Silky Flycatcher, Ptiliogonys cinereus otofuscus, Female. Photograph taken within the Reserva Chara Pinta, El Palmito, Concordia, Sinaloa, March 2017. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Background and Identification

The Gray Silky Flycatcher, Ptiliogonys cinereus otofuscus, is one of four subspecies of Gray Silky Flycatcher, all four of which are found Mexico. They are a member of the Ptilogonatidae Family of Silky-flycatchers, which has four members placed in three genera, and one of two global species of the Ptiliogonys Genus. They are known in Mexico as Capulinero Gris.

The Gray Silky Flycatcher has a slender body with a prominent crest and long slender tail. They are easy to recognize having brownish gray to pure gray upperparts, a pale eye-ring, with deep gray to golden olive underparts and bright yellow ventral feathering and a black tail with a white band across the base. Their bill is black, their iris is dark and their legs are black. They sexually dichromatic with the males having gray sides and flanks with a less prominent eye ring, and the females having brown sides and flanks.

Habitat and Geographical Range

The Gray Silky Flycatcher are found within montane pine, oak, and juniper forests, in open areas with scattered trees at elevations between 1,000 m (3,300 feet) and 3,500 m (11,480 feet) at the lower altitudes during the winter. They are considered to be non-migratory and found in pairs or groups of three to six individuals. They primarily consume berries and limited amounts of insects by sallying from a perch.

The Gray Silky Flycatcher is a year-round resident of Mexico being found within the interior of the mainland extending from northeast Sonora and Chihuahua and east to Zacatecas and south Chiapas. The otofuscus subspecies is found in southern Sonora, southwestern Chihuahua, eastern Sinaloa, western Durango and western Zacatecas.

Common Misidentifications

Conservation Status

From a conservation perspective the Gray Silky Flycatcher is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are a small component of the cagebird trade. They are considered to be an important disperser of seeds.