The blue-gray gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) is a very small gnatcatcher native to North America.

Description

It is in length, 6.3 in (16 cm) in wingspan, and weighing only . They may hover over foliage while snatching prey (gleaning), or fly to catch insects in flight (hawking). The tail is often held upright while defending territory or searching for food.

Sounds

The songs (and calls) are often heard on breeding grounds, (usually away from nest) and occasionally heard other times of the year. Calls: "zkreee, zkreee, zkreee", Songs: "szpree zpree spreeeeey spree spre sprzrreeeee"

Breeding

Both parents build a cone-like nest on a horizontal tree branch, and share feeding the young. The incubation period is 10–15 days for both sexes, where the female lays a clutch of 4–5 eggs. The blue-gray gnatcatcher can raise up to two broods in a season.

{|style="margin: 0 auto;"

|

| thumb|center|alt=A juvenile blue-gray gnatcatcher in [[San Bruno|A juvenile blue-gray gnatcatcher in San Bruno]]

|}

References

<!-- BulletinOfTheBritishOrnithologistsClub101:339. WilsonBull18:47 (compare to current Ohio checklist http://www.ohiobirds.org/publications/OBRClist.pdf) -->

  • Blue-gray gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerula - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
  • from Turks and Caicos at
  • Blue-gray gnatcatcher Bird Sound at Florida Museum of Natural History