The blue-gray gnatcatcher is a very small gnatcatcher native to North America.
Region
North America
Typical Environment
Breeds widely across the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico, and winters from the southern United States through Mexico, the Caribbean, and into Central America. It favors open woodlands, scrubby edges, riparian corridors, and oak-pine habitats. In urban and suburban areas, it uses parks and tree-lined neighborhoods with dense foliage. During migration it occurs in a broad range of habitats, including coastal thickets and desert washes. It is adaptable as long as there is a rich supply of small arthropods.
Altitude Range
0–2500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The blue-gray gnatcatcher is a very small, hyperactive songbird that constantly flicks its long tail, flashing white outer tail feathers as it forages. Males develop a thin black brow in the breeding season, which disappears in winter. Its tidy, camouflaged cup nest is bound with spider silk and often decorated with lichens, making it hard to spot.
A juvenile blue-gray gnatcatcher in San Bruno
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically forages in pairs during the breeding season and joins mixed-species flocks outside of it. Builds a small, lichen-covered cup nest on a horizontal branch; both sexes contribute to nest building and care. Generally monogamous within a season and territorial while breeding.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
A high, thin, buzzy series of wheezy notes and short trills delivered in variable sequences. Calls include sharp, scolding chips and whispery wheeze-like notes, often given while actively foraging.
Plumage
Smooth blue-gray upperparts with clean whitish underparts; long tail with white outer feathers; breeding males show a thin black forehead line.
Diet
Primarily small insects and other arthropods, including gnats, flies, caterpillars, leafhoppers, and spiders. It gleans prey from leaves and twigs, occasionally hovering to pick items from foliage. It may sally short distances to snatch flying insects. Plant matter is rarely taken.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the canopy and midstory of open deciduous woodlands, thickets, and riparian vegetation. Also uses scrublands, woodland edges, and tree-filled urban parks where insect densities are high.
