Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

Overview

The black-tailed gnatcatcher is a small, insectivorous bird classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is a nonmigratory species found in arid desert areas throughout the year.

Identification

• A small bird measuring 4.5 to 5 inches in length, much of which is a long black tail lined with white outer feathers.
• The body is blue-grey with white underparts; males have a black cap in summer, but this is absent in females and winter males.
• Best distinguished from the blue-grey gnatcatcher by its predominantly black tail underside, whereas the blue-grey has a mostly white tail underneath.
• Produces harsh, scolding calls while foraging.

Habitat

This species ranges throughout the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It lives in arid desert areas and is nonmigratory, remaining in the region year-round.

Diet

It feeds on a wide variety of small insects and some spiders, foraging in trees and low shrubs. Unlike the blue-grey gnatcatcher, it rarely catches insects in midair.

Did you know?

Despite frequent brood parasitism by cowbirds, which often leads the pair to raise cowbird young, the black-tailed gnatcatcher population seems to be holding up well.