A tiny long-tailed songbird, blue-gray above, white below, with a long thin tail held cocked. Frantically active — never seems to stop moving.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The blue-gray gnatcatcher is a very small gnatcatcher native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia — Blue-gray gnatcatcher Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Minuscule blue-gray bird with a long, white-edged black tail (often cocked), a thin bill, and a white eye-ring; males show a fine black eyebrow ('unibrow') in breeding season.
Similar species. Kinglets are greenish with wing bars; the gnatcatcher is gray-and-white with a long expressive tail and a white eye-ring.
Voice. A thin, wheezy, nasal 'pew' or 'spee' and a soft, scratchy warble.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Small insects and spiders gleaned from foliage.
Behavior. A tiny, hyperactive songbird that flits through the canopy flicking its long tail to flush insects; builds a beautiful lichen-covered nest bound with spider silk.
§ Range
Most of US east of Rockies in summer
§ Habitat
Mature deciduous and mixed forests
§ Threats
Forest fragmentation, pesticide drift.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the blue-gray gnatcatcher is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Maintain mature forest. Skip pesticides.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Blue-gray gnatcatcher
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Polioptila caerulea
- IUCN Red List — search for Polioptila caerulea
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Polioptila caerulea
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
