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Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
At-a-Glance
• Peak Breeding Activity: April-August
• Incubation: 2 weeks
• Clutch Size: 3-5 eggs
• Typical Foods: small insects and spiders |
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Description
The blue-gray gnatcatcher looks somewhat like a miniature mockingbird. Its body is blue-gray above and whitish below, with a narrow white eye-ring and a long black-and-white tail, which is often cocked like a wren's.
Habitat and Habits
This gnatcatcher inhabits all types of deciduous woods, but requires some large trees. It can also be found in well treed parks and neighborhoods. It returns from its tropical wintering grounds in late March, before trees are leafed out. They deliver high-pitched, fussy-sounding notes more or less continuously, and these sounds are often what alert observers to their presence high in the tree tops.
Reproduction and Care of the Young
Gnatcatchers usually begin nesting in the month of April or May. Nest building and incubation is done by both the male and the female. Usually, two broods are produced each season. |
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