MASKED GNATCATCHER Polioptila dumicola
Restless, fidgety, irritable, short-tempered, the Masked Gnatcatcher is all of these things, but also one of the most endearing little birds of the Paraguayan countryside. Habitually found in pairs, the presence of an observer sends them into a frenzy, hopping about with cocked tails and complaining about the disturbance. Vocally they are capable of proucing a huge variety of noises, though all phrases contain a distinctly buzzy component that helps to identify the performer!
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPAVE2941PH) Adult male, Laguna Capitán, Cuenca Upper Yacaré Sur (Marcelo Bombaci October 2007).
FIGURE 2 - (FPAVE2942PH) Adult male, Laguna Capitán, Cuenca Upper Yacaré Sur (Paul Smith September 2006).
FIGURE 3 - (FPAVE2943PH) Adult male, PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith July 2006)
FIGURE 4 - (FPAVE2944PH) Upperwing same individual (Paul Smith July 2006).
FIGURE 5 - (FPAVE2945PH) Adult female, PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith July 2006)
FIGURE 6 - (FPAVE2946PH) Upperwing same individual (Paul Smith July 2006).
VIDEO - (FPAVE2947VI) Adult male, Cuenca Upper Yacaré Sur, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Paul Smith August 2011)
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Polioptila dumicola
1 (FPAVE2948RE) alarm call  recorded Laguna Capitán, Cuenca Upper Yacaré Sur (Paul Smith October 2007).
2 (FPAVE2949RE) descending call  recorded Laguna Capitán, Cuenca Upper Yacaré Sur (Paul Smith October 2007).
3 (FPAVE2950RE) song  recorded Laguna Capitán, Cuenca Upper Yacaré Sur (Paul Smith October 2007).
Click the links to hear the calls. Longer versions of this call can be downloaded from the Paraguay page of our partner website Xeno-Canto - the largest collection of freely downloadable Neotropical bird calls available online.
Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Material on this page was provided by Paul Smith and Marcelo Bombaci and is used with their permission.