Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)

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Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)

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Length: 4.5-5 in.
Habitat: Open, moist woodlands and brushy streamside thickets. Breeding habitat varies with region.
Range: Breeds from North california, Colorado, central Minnesota, S. Ontario, and New Hampshire south to the Bahamas, the Gulf Coast, and Guatemala. Winters noth to the Carolinas, the Gulf Coast, and S. California.

Several species of gnatcatchers are found throughout the warmer parts of the Americas. All of them build exquisite nests, which are exceedingly difficult to find unless the adults are feeding their young; the parents are quite noisy and conspicuous, and seem to ignore intruders. These birds are extremely active, constantly flitting about through the treetops.

The diet of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher consists mostly of insects. Feeds on a wide variety of small insects, including leafhoppers, treehoppers, plant bugs, leaf beetles, caterpillars, flies, and small wasps. also eats many spiders. Takes most food while perched, also hovers to pick items from surface. Large insects are beaten against a branch before being eaten.

Male arrives first in breeding areas and sings to defend territory and attract a mate. Nest (built by both sexes) is a compact open cup of grass, weeds, plant fibers, strips of bark, lined with plant down, animal hair, and feathers. Outside of the nest is coated with spider webs and decorated with pieces of lichen, making nest well camouflaged. Both parents feed nestlings.

Conservation Status Common.