<trp-post-container data-trp-post-id='356890'>Grey Silky-flycatcher

En bref

• Scientific Name: Ptiliogonys cinereus
• Spanish Name: Capulinero gris
• Family: Ptiliogonatidae
• Known Nicknames: Gray Silky-flycatcher, Gray Silky
• Average Length: 20–22 cm / 8.0–8.7 in
• Average Weight: 30–37 g / 1.1–1.3 oz
• Wingspan: 32–36 cm / 12.6–14.2 in
• Key Feature: Elegant gray plumage, prominent pointed crest, long tail with white-spotted outer feathers, and bright yellow undertail coverts
• Primary Diet: Omnivore (primarily berries, especially mistletoe, and flying insects)
• Range: Highlands of Mexico and Guatemala, occasionally vagrant to the southern United States
• Habitat: Montane pine-oak and evergreen forests, forest edges, and humid highlands
• Social Structure: Social (often found in small flocks or loose groups outside the breeding season)
• Nesting/Breeding: Cup nest made of lichens and moss, built on tree branches
• Statut de conservation : Préoccupation mineure (LC)
• Évolution démographique : En baisse

The Grey Silky-flycatcher (*Ptiliogonys cinereus*) is an exceptionally elegant, slender songbird native to the highland forests of Mexico and northern Central America. True to its name, this species boasts a sleek, silky ash-grey plumage, beautifully complemented by a prominent, expressive crest on its head and a striking white ring framing its dark eyes. Among its most eye-catching features are its long, deeply white-spotted tail and a vibrant splash of yellow-olive on its undertail coverts, which flash brilliantly during its graceful, undulating flight. Though they expertly snatch insects from the air, these highly social birds are also specialized berry-eaters with a particular fondness for mistletoe, making them vital seed dispersers and a captivating presence in their montane canopy homes.

Faits amusants

Despite its name, this elegant bird is not a true flycatcher but a close relative of the waxwing, sharing a specialized obsession with mistletoe berries that it "plants" by wiping its sticky, seed-filled droppings directly onto tree branches. When it does hunt insects, it performs dramatic, looping aerial acrobatics from high canopy perches, almost always returning to the exact same twig. Highly expressive, it communicates excitement or alarm by frantically pumping its exceptionally long tail up and down, and it is known to travel in highly social, nomadic flocks that swoop through the air in perfectly synchronized, wave-like patterns.

Habitats et répartition

Its geographical range extends primarily through the highlands of Middle America, stretching from northern and western Mexico—including the Sierra Madre Occidental and Oriental—southward through the central highlands to southern Mexico and Guatemala. It is largely a resident species throughout this range, though some northern populations may undertake seasonal altitudinal migrations to lower elevations during the winter months.

Within this range, it primarily inhabits humid to semi-arid montane environments, showing a strong preference for pine-oak forests, cloud forests, and forest edges at elevations typically between 1,000 and 3,000 meters. It is also commonly found in semi-open habitats, such as clearing borders, scrubby hillsides, agricultural areas, and suburban parks, particularly where berry-producing plants and mistletoe are abundant.

Comportements & Reproduction

Active and highly social, these birds typically associate in pairs or small, loose flocks, which can swell to larger groups outside the breeding season. They exhibit a semi-colonial nesting behavior, where multiple pairs build nests in relatively close proximity, facilitating collective vigilance against predators. Their foraging behavior is characterized by agile aerial sallying to capture insects, heavily supplemented by a specialized diet of berries, particularly mistletoe, which influences both their daily movements and seasonal habitat selection.

During the breeding season, monogamous pairs form and work cooperatively to construct a compact, cup-shaped nest. This nest is meticulously camouflaged with lichens and mosses, bound together with spiderwebs, and typically placed high in the fork of a tree branch. Both parents share nesting duties, including incubating the typical clutch of two to three eggs and feeding the chicks. A notable reproductive strategy is their heavy reliance on mistletoe; the birds act as key seed dispersers, and the availability of these berries closely dictates their nesting sites and provides a critical food source for raising their young.

Alimentation

The Grey Silky-flycatcher (*Ptiliogonys cinereus*) maintains a specialized diet consisting primarily of small fruits, berries, and flying insects. A particularly fascinating aspect of its dietary ecology is its strong, almost symbiotic relationship with mistletoe; the bird consumes large quantities of mistletoe berries and plays a crucial role in the plant's propagation by defecating or regurgitating the sticky, undigested seeds directly onto tree branches where they can take root. To supplement this heavy fruit intake with essential proteins, the Grey Silky-flycatcher utilizes its agility to perform dramatic aerial sallies, launching from high, exposed perches to snatch insects like beetles, flies, and wasps mid-air before returning to the same spot. This dual reliance on mistletoe berries and aerial insect-hunting highlights a highly adapted foraging strategy that is both ecologically vital and distinctive.

Couleurs

The Grey Silky-flycatcher features a sleek, ash-grey body highlighted by a prominent white eye-ring and an elegant, tufted crest. Its long black wings and tail contrast sharply with a vibrant, lemon-yellow vent (undertail coverts) and bold white patches on the outer tail feathers that flash during flight. This neutral grey plumage provides excellent camouflage within the shadows of montane forest canopies, with females displaying a slightly duller, brownish-grey variation of the pattern.