Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

 

This little bird, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, flitted in, posed on this branch in the sunlight, and then flitted off to another branch. Something about the way it paused here made it look very peaceful to me, even though it was fast. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says one characteristic of these birds is their “constant motion” (para. 1).^[1]

With a name like Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, you would expect these birds to...you know...catch gnats. And they do, apparently, but not a lot. Apparently, they prefer spiders and other insects.^[2] Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers also like spiders because they use spiderwebs like glue for their nests.^[3] (Imagine being a spider, having built your own home, only for a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher to swoop in and say "I'll take that!")

Speaking of nests, what does the perfect date sound like to a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher? House hunting!  The male bird courts the female Blue-gray Gnatcatcher by scouting out potential nesting sites with her.^[4] They build the first nest together, and the male builds the second nest by himself.^[3]

Both male and female Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have a white ring around their eyes.^[5] If you spot one that looks like it has angry eyebrows and like it is most displeased, then you've spotted a male in the summer, which have a black V shape over their eyes. The Cornell Lab's identification page has a picture of one near the Color Pattern heading.^[5] Check it out!

The Details:

Common Name: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Scientific Name: Polioptila caerulea
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Polioptilidae

Seen: On a branch
Month: September

Range: Blue-gray Gnatcatchers' range has far more coverage in the eastern United States than it does the west, though it can be found as far west as California.^[6] In the east, the range of breeding populations goes up into parts of Maine and into Canada. In the west, it follows a wobbly line from California, Nevada, and Utah (dipping just up into part of Wyoming) before going back down towards Texas and up again towards parts of Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. For a more specific description, check out the helpful range map provided on the Cornell Lab's website. 

 

Learn More About Blue-gray Gnatcatchers:

1. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: Overview. All About Birds.
2. Harpers Ferry National Historic Park. (2019, September 16). Gnatcatchers. National Park Service.
3. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. (Date). Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea.
4. Audubon. (n.d.). Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. [Note: The webpage says the bird guide text was adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996]
5. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: Identification. All About Birds.
6. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d). Blue gray Gnatcatcher: Range. All About Birds