The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea, is a small songbird which ranges from the east coast of North America to the southwest United States and Mexico. They are seen as far north as Ontario. They migrate farther south into Central America and the islands of the Caribbean.
They are small songbirds which, as the name implies, are active hunters of insects. They are fairly common in their range in bushes and deciduous trees.
Classification:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Polioptilidae
Genus: Polioptila
Species: P. caerulea
Photos:
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
"Cape May, New Jersey My Flickr and now good friend Omar, who is viisting the USA from Iceland with his wonderful wife Audur, joined me in watching a pair of Blue-Gray Gantcatchers build this wonderful nest approximately 50′ above the ground. Omar and Audur’s son, Hlynur, who now lives in Pa., also joined us. The tiny Gnatcatchers moved very quickly and worked extremely hard to fashion this delicate and beatiful nest from strands of reeds, lichen and leaves. Their "glue" was resin from pine trees!!! Thank you Brian at CMBO for the correct ID!"
Photo courtesy of William Dalton
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila_caerulea)
"Blue-gray Gnatcatcher hover-gleaning at Chapel Trail Nature Center, Pembroke Pines, Florida."
Photo courtesy of kenschneiderusa
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
"The blue-gray gnatcatcher is the northernmost-occurring species of gnatcatcher, and the only true migratory one (All About Birds)."
Photo courtesy of naturelover2007
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
"Amazing little bird that does not come out to play alot and when he does its only for a split second, took a long time to get this photos down near Ventura, Ca"
Photo courtesy of hearman
Video:
Commentary:
Flamingo Fotos: Friday’s Feathers: Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Today’s Friday’s Feathers belong to the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher: Isn’t he adorable? Another bug-eater who loves the mystery tree(? tall shrub?) in my backyard. What can I tell you about him? Well, um, he’s blue-gray and he eats bugs. … Read more…
This is the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, a curious little bird that makes the funniest little nest. They are cup-shaped structures, made from plant material, and held together with spider webs! Then the birds cover them with moss and lichen. … Read more…
Life history account for Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
The behavior and reproductive success of the blue-gray gnatcatcher. Condor 71:16-31. B377. Life history accounts for species in the California Wildlife Habitat Relationships (CWHR) System were originally published in: … Read more…
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in the Pokeweed
Add the blue-gray gnatcatcher to your list of birds that eat pokeweed berries. We’ve got several tall pokeweed plants in the garden and dozens edging the woods, and this past week saw jillions of gnatcatchers jostling for the ripening … Read more…
