Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

The blue back and white eye ring  aid identification; so does the bird's habit of jerking  its tail. The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (4 1/2 in.) is a western  desert species with a black cap, less white on the tail, and a generally duller color than the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.—Length: 4-5 in. Female grayer, tinged with brown.

A small, very active bird always searching for insects along tree branches or throughout bushes. Insect catching often involves hovering around trees or bushes.

These birds will flick their long tails upward as they constantly move from branch-to-branch and bush-to-bush. This is the only truly migratory gnatcatcher. The calls and songs of this bird are very high in pitch and often hard to detect.

Appearance: Blue-gray upperparts. White underparts. White eye ring. Thin bill. Long, blacktail with white outer tail feathers. Underside of tail appears mostly white when viewed from below. Male has black supercilium during breeding season (Summer). Sexes similiar. Tiny bird. 4 to 5 inches in length.

Habitat: Chaparral, open woodlands, thickets, pinyon-juniper, and live oaks.

Nesting: 4-5 pale blue eggs with brown spots and a 13 day incubation period. Fledging occurs 10-12 days after hatching. The nest is an open cup made from plant material, spider web, and flakes of lichen.

The nest is attached to a horizontal branch at any height above the ground. Males help out with nest construction, incubation and feeding of young.