Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

Polioptila melanuraOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Old World Warblers and Gnatcatchers (Sylviidae)

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher Variations

Default description
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher: Female

Default description
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher: Male

General

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher: Medium-sized gnatcatcher with black cap, blue-gray upperparts, black tail, and pale gray underparts. Bill is short, slender, and black. Black tail is edged with white; underside of tail appears mostly black with large white spots near tip when closed. Female is paler and lacks black cap. Winter male resembles female but has a dark eyebrow.

Range and Habitat

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher: Fairly common resident of arid scrub and washes of the American southwest and central and northern Mexico.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"cheeh", "ssheh"

Interesting Facts

The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher is a nonmigratory bird that lives in pairs throughout the entire year. The male and female usually forage within a few yards of each other. This togetherness may give them a heightened need to communicate—they have a surprising variety of call notes.

Unlike the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, which it closely resembles, it rarely catches insects in midair. It prefers to forage on thorn trees.

Canopy height appears to be important for foraging; they spend at least 75% of their time in brush less than 9 feet high.

Author

Ashli Maruster Splitbar

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher: Medium gnatcatcher with black cap, blue-gray upperparts, black tail, and pale gray underparts. The bill is short and black. Black tail is edged with white; underside of tail appears mostly black with large white spots near tip when closed. Black legs and feet.

● Song: "cheeh", "ssheh"

● Foraging & Feeding: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher: Gleans insects from foliage and branches. Occasionally will hover. Diet sometimes includes spiders and seeds.

● Breeding & nesting: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher: Both parents build cup nest in fork of mesquite, creosote or other desert scrub, usually one to four feet above ground. Nest is compact, made of plant down bound with insect and spider silk. Female lays three to five pale blue or green eggs marked with brown. Incubation by both the male and female usually 14 days in duration. Altricial young tended by both parents fledge between 9 and 15 days.

● Similar species: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is distinctly blue toned, with obvious white eye ring and pale bill. Breeding male lacks black cap. Black-capped Gnatcatcher has much less black on underside of tail, almost completely white with black extending lengthwise down middle, longer bill, and less distinct eye ring. California Gnatcatcher is darker and more dusky overall with more brown tones throughout, tail almost completely black on underside with very little white edging. All species have different vocalizations.

Flight Pattern

Short flights usually within low vegetation. Tail often waving from side to side and/or cocked in the air.

● Range & Habitat: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher: Fairly common resident of arid scrub and washes of the American southwest and central and northern Mexico.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationCommon in range

^MigrationMost do not migrate

^Weight0.2 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America