Gray Silky-flycatcher

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Quick Facts

  • Scientific Name: Ptiliogonys cinereus
  • Spanish Name: Capulinero gris
  • Family: Ptiliogonatidae
  • Known Nicknames: Grey Silky-flycatcher, Mexican Silky-flycatcher
  • Average Length: 18.5–21 cm / 7.3–8.3 in
  • Average Weight: 30–37 g / 1.1–1.3 oz
  • Wingspan: 30–34 cm / 11.8–13.4 in
  • Key Feature: Prominent tufted crest, long tail with white inner webbing on outer feathers, and bright yellow undertail coverts
  • Primary Diet: Omnivorous (primarily mistletoe berries and flying insects)
  • Range: Highlands of Mexico, Guatemala, and northern El Salvador
  • Habitat: Montane pine-oak and evergreen forests, forest edges, and clearings
  • Social Structure: Highly Social (frequently associates in active flocks)
  • Nesting/Breeding: Neat cup nests built on tree branches, often covered in lichens
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Decreasing

The Gray Silky-flycatcher (*Ptiliogonys cinereus*) is an elegant, slender songbird native to the highlands of Mexico and northern Central America, renowned for its sophisticated appearance and graceful aerial maneuvers. True to its name, this species boasts silky, soft-textured plumage of cool bluish-gray, which is beautifully accented by a prominent, swept-back crest, a bold white eye-ring, and a brilliant splash of canary-yellow beneath its tail. Although it resembles and hunts like a true flycatcher—sallying from high perches to snatch insects mid-air—it actually belongs to a distinct, specialized family of silky-flycatchers and subsists heavily on mistletoe berries. Highly social and vocal, this bird is a captivating sight in pine-oak forests, especially in flight, when its long, dark tail fans open to reveal striking white outer feathers as it travels in lively, cooperative flocks.

Fun Facts

Despite its name, this elegant bird is not a true flycatcher but a dedicated mistletoe specialist with a quirky way of gardening. It consumes mistletoe berries whole, and because its digestive system leaves the seeds incredibly sticky, the bird has to wipe its rear end against tree branches to dislodge them, effectively planting its own future food source. When not performing this comical hygiene routine, these birds act as feathered acrobats, launching into dramatic, looping aerial dives to catch insects before returning to an ultra-upright, statue-like perch. They are also surprisingly social, often employing "babysitters" through cooperative breeding where helper birds assist the parents in raising and defending their chicks.

Habitats & Distribution

This species is primarily distributed throughout the highlands of Mexico and Guatemala, with its range extending south into El Salvador and Honduras. While it is largely a resident species across its mountainous range, individuals occasionally wander further north, resulting in rare sightings in the southwestern United States, particularly in Texas and California.

Within this range, it inhabits humid to semi-arid montane forests, showing a strong preference for pine-oak woodlands, evergreen forest edges, and open canopy areas at elevations typically between 1,000 and 3,000 meters. It is highly associated with areas rich in mistletoe, a vital food source, and can also be found in semi-open habitats, agricultural lands, and suburban parks with mature trees.

Behaviours & Reproduction

This species exhibits a highly social structure, often gathering in active, nomadic flocks of up to thirty individuals outside the breeding season, though they disperse into territorial, monogamous pairs during the nesting period. Highly active and conspicuous, they spend much of their time perched on high, exposed branches, sallying out to capture flying insects or foraging in groups for berries, particularly mistletoe. During the breeding season, which typically runs from April to July, pairs establish and defend nesting territories through vocalizations and aerial chases.

Reproduction is a highly cooperative effort, beginning with both partners constructing a neat, cup-shaped nest high in the canopy of oak, pine, or madrone trees. The nest is meticulously camouflaged with lichens and mosses bound together by spider webs, making it blend seamlessly with the branches. The female typically lays two to three speckled eggs, and both parents share incubation duties. Once the chicks hatch, both the male and female actively provision them with a specialized diet of insects and regurgitated mistletoe berries, a cooperative parental strategy that supports rapid nestling development.

Diet

The diet of the Gray Silky-flycatcher is primarily frugivorous and insectivorous, characterized by a specialized and ecologically vital relationship with mistletoe berries. These birds consume vast quantities of mistletoe fruit, swallowing the berries whole and digesting only the pulp before excreting the sticky, intact seeds onto tree branches, which facilitates the propagation of this parasitic plant. To supplement this fruit-heavy diet, they actively hunt a variety of insects, including beetles, flies, and wasps. They capture their insect prey mid-air through a behavior known as "hawking" or "sallying," where they dart out from a high, conspicuous perch to snatch flying insects before returning to the same spot to feed.

Colors

The Gray Silky-flycatcher features a sleek, ash-gray body accented by a prominent white eye-ring and a conspicuous tufted crest. It is distinguished by a vibrant, bright yellow patch on its lower belly and undertail coverts, which contrasts with its dark wings and long, blackish tail. In flight, the tail reveals distinctive white panels on the outer feathers, while the bird's overall muted gray plumage provides excellent camouflage within its high-altitude forest canopy habitat.

Distribution Map

Places linked to this species. A sighting is never guaranteed.