Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

A tiny, long-tailed bird of deciduous forests and scrublands, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher makes itself known by its soft but emphatic "spee" calls and its constant motion. By flicking its white-edged tail from side to side, the gnatcatcher may scare up hiding insects.

Interesting Information

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is the northernmost-occurring species of gnatcatcher, and the only truly migratory one. Most members of its genus are resident in the Neotropics.
The soft, rambling song of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher usually contains some mimicked songs of other bird species.

Description

Adult Description

Tiny bird.
Long tail.
Bluish gray back.
White underside.
White eyering.
White outer tail feathers.
Small, thin bill.
No wingbars.
Length Range: 11 cm (4.25 in)
Weight: 6 g (0.2 oz)
Size: Very Small (3 - 5 in)

Sex Differences

Male Description

Breeding (Alternate) Plumage:

Black line meeting over the bill and extending around head above the eyes to just behind the eyes. Crown and nape washed with bluish.

Nonbreeding (Basic) Plumage:

Crown and nape medium gray. Face all medium gray.

Female Description

Face all gray, with white eyering. Overall paler gray than male.

Immature

Similar to adult female, but wings slightly browner.

Photo taken from: The Sibley Field Guide by David Allen Sibley

Habitat

Breeds in variety of deciduous wooded habitats from shrubland to mature forest, especially near water.

Behavior

Feeds near tips of branches, constantly moving through foliage. Moves tail continuously, which may flush insects.

Food

Small insects and spiders.

Taxonomy

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Certhiidae
Genus:	Polioptila
Species:	Polioptila caerulea
Subspecies:	Polioptila caerulea amoenissima
	Polioptila caerulea caerulea
	Polioptila caerulea obscura

Similar Species

Cerulean Warbler with streaking on chest and sides, two wingbars, and shorter tail, lacks eyering and white outer tail feathers.
Kinglets with greenish, with wingbars and shorter tails.
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher with mostly black undersides to tail feathers, duller overall. Breeding male with black cap.
California Gnatcatcher with darker underside and nearly all black tail. Breeding male with black cap.
Rare Black-capped Gnatcatcher female very similar, with longer bill and more tapered tail. Breeding male with extensive black cap.

Bird Sound

Song soft, warbling, complex series of rambling jumbles. Call a thin, nasal "spee."

Eggs look like this

Photo taken from: ARCTOS Collaborative Collection Management Solution

	Sources Used To Construct This Page
	Ellison, Walter G. 1992. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea). In The Birds of North America, No. 23 (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, DC: The American Ornithologists' Union.

	All photos and videos © Rick Swartzentrover - Free for non-profit use.