The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is a very small (10.0 to 11.5 cm in length, 5 to 7 grams in weight), bluish-gray, long-tailed songbird; tail length constitutes about 45% of the total length. Common in spring, summer, and fall, and fairly common in winter in Gulf Coast region. Look for. Thin and long tailed, with outer tail feathers almost entirely white (tail from below looks white). Browse Species; Subscribe Sign In. McHenry County Conservation District / McHenry County College / GnatcatcherBlueGray BIRD GALLERY - Songbirds & Others Information: MCCD #(815) 338-6223 Common Name: Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher . Adult males are blue-gray on the upperparts with white underparts, have a slender dark bill, and a long black tail edged in white. Return to Birds of North America Home Page. HABITAT: Found in open woodlands, forest edges, and tree-lined fence rows. These male gnatcatchers have soft blue-gray upperparts and the head shows a bright white eye ring and a distinct black eyebrow that meets at the top of the bill to give the bird a menacing glare. Possible aliases, alternative names and misspellings for Polioptila caerulea. Birds of North America. Avibase is an extensive database information system about all birds of the world, containing over &1 million records about 10,000 species and 22,000 subspecies of birds, including distribution information for 20,000 regions, taxonomy, synonyms in several languages and more. They have white underparts and a white eyering. SCIENTIFIC NAME: Polioptila caerulea STATUS: Breeder. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. Description: Male is blue-gray above; white below; long tail is black above with white outer feathers; crown and forehead bordered with black in breeding plumage only. Order. California Gnatcatcher. American Dipper Cinclus mexicanus; Pycnonotidae Bulbuls. SCIENTIFIC NAME: Polioptila caerulea STATUS: Breeder. Female is less bluish above, and lacks black markings on head. The blue-gray gnatcatcher is the birder’s “mini-mockingbird,” always in motion and usually talking about it. Both sexes have narrow white eye-ring and conspicuous white edging on secondary wing feathers. A tiny, long-tailed bird of broadleaf forests and scrublands, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher makes itself known by its soft but insistent calls and its constant motion. ... Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea; California Gnatcatcher Polioptila californica; Black-tailed Gnatcatcher Polioptila melanura; Cinclidae Dippers. Discover How Long Blue-gray gnatcatcher Lives. These little cuties are aptly named, as much of their plumage is a blue-gray color. Click on the bird names listed below to see pictures of the Gnatcatchers . Show Aliases. Menu. Both sexes have a white eye ring. Females are less blue, while juveniles are greenish-gray. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. This graceful, delicate, miniscule bird seems to arrive too early in spring, sallying into swarms of midges from still-budding branches. They are told from the wood-warblers by their distinctive shape and vocalizations, and from other gnatcatchers by a combination of tail characteristics, wing morphology, and voice. The wings are darker, and the underparts are paler whitish-gray. Family Species Anseriformes. Blue-gray Gnatchatchers are small bluish birds with long, expressive tails patterned in black and white. Black-capped Gnatcatcher. This is also the only truly migratory gnatcatcher, although individuals breeding in Central America are largely … This member of the gnatcatcher family is found in approximately two-thirds of the United States and into regions of southeastern Canada. The bill is thin and pale gray. Common in spring, summer, and fall, and fairly common in winter in Gulf Coast region. The bill is fine-tipped and narrow with a slight lateral flattening at the base, which is surrounded by prominent rictal bristles. How Climate Change Will Reshape the Range of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. A tiny, long-tailed bird of broadleaf forests and scrublands, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher makes itself known by its soft but insistent calls and its constant motion. In other regions, common in spring, summer, and fall, and rare to occasional in winter. Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect this bird’s range in the future. OUR DATA: We use the most recent data from these primary sources: AnAge, UMICH, Max Planck, PanTHERIA, Arkive, UKC, AKC. The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is a small songbird that lives across parts of the United States and Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean. Browse Species. Breeding female Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Monroe Co., NY, 30 April.