Field Guide



Click for explorable range map
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (Polioptila melanura) is a small, insectivorous bird which ranges throughout the Sonoran Desert of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is nonmigratory and found in arid desert areas year-round.

The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher reaches about 4.5 to 5 inches in length, much of it taken up by a long black tail lined with white outer feathers. The body is blue-gray, with white underparts, and while it is similar to the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, the two birds are differentiated by the amount of black in the tail feathers. The male Black-tailed Gnatcatcher also has a black cap, which the Blue-gray lacks. Like other gnatcatchers, it may give harsh, scolding calls while foraging for small insects and spiders in desert shrubs.

References

*{{ITIS|ID=179857|taxon=Polioptila melanura|year=2006|date=24 January}}

External links

* Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
* Black-tailed Gnatcatcher at birdfriends.com


Descriptions from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Used under terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

Have a photo or sound recording that GeoBirds could use? Email us: admin@geobirds.com.

Notice errors or omissions in the species accounts? Edit the article at Wikipedia or send your changes to admin@geobirds.com.