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GNATCATCHERs

Order Passeriformes   Family Polioptilidae


The gnatcatchers occur in North and South America . Most species of this mainly tropical and subtropical group are resident, but the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher of the USA and southern Canada migrates south in winter. They are close relatives of the wrens.

These dainty birds are intermediate between "Old World warblers" and wrens in their structure and habits, moving restlessly through the foliage seeking insects. The gnatcatchers are mainly soft bluish gray in color, and have the typical insectivore's long sharp bill. Many species have distinctive black head patterns (esp. males) and long, regularly cocked, black-and-white tails.


Genus Microbates Found in: Central and South America

Gnatwren,_Collared  Microbates collaris  Found: South America
The Collared Gnatwren has brown upperparts; white supercilium; black eye-line, breast-band; otherwise white underparts; long bill.
Image by: 1, 2) Neotropical_Birds_Online - Marc_Chretien, Philip Stouffer


Gnatwren,_Tawny-faced  Microbates cinereiventris  Found: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, western South America
The Tawny-faced Gnatwren has brown upperparts; tawny face; white throat with black stripes;; long bill.
Image by: 1) Nick_Athanas   2) Bonner_zoologische_Monographien



Genus Polioptila Found in: The Americas

Gnatcatcher,_Black-capped  Polioptila nigriceps   Found: North America (Arizona), Mexico
The Black-capped Gnatcatcher has blue-gray upperparts, white underparts, long thin bill. The male has a black cap.
Similar to: Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher.
Image by: 1) Jerry Oldenettel - Mexico  2, 3) Dominic Sherony - Arizona  4) Francesco_Veronesi - Mexico
1) Female 2, 3, 4) Male


Gnatcatcher,_Black-tailed Polioptila melanura   Found: North America
The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher has blue-gray upperparts, white underparts, white eye-ring, It has a long black tail with white edges. The breeding male has a black cap, others do not.
Similar to: Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher tail mostly white when viewed from below, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher tail predominantly black underneath.
Similar to: California Gnatcatcher. They were once considered the same species. Distinguished by range: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher - Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts; California Gnatcatcher - coastal sage growth.
Image by:  1) Amy McAndrews - Mexico   J N Stuart - Nevada 3, 5) Charlie Westerinen - Anza Borrego Park in California  4) Andy_Reago_Chrissy_McClarren  Dick - Arizona
2) Nonbreeding male 3, 4, 5) Breeding male



Gnatcatcher,_Blue-gray Polioptila caerulea   Found: North America and Central America
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher has blue-gray upperparts, white underparts, long thin bill, white eye-ring. It has a black tail with white edges. The male has a black forehead. The female is less blue than the male.
Similar to: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher tail mostly white when viewed from below, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher tail predominantly black underneath.
Similar to: Bushtit. Gnatcatcher has longer bill than Bushtit. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher's back is same color as head, Bushtit's head is different color.
Image by: 1) mctheriot - Moraine Hills Park, Illinois  2) Elaine R. Wilson - Borrego Springs, California    3, 5) Dick Daniels - North Carolina  4) Dick - Arizona  6) Charlie_Westerinen - Arizona



Gnatcatcher,_California Polioptila californica   Found: southwest California to Baja
The California Gnatcatcher has dark gray upperparts, lighter underparts, white eye-ring, long thin black tail with white edges. The male has a black crown; female has blue-gray crown.
Similar to: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. They were once considered the same species. Distinguished by range: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher - Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts; California Gnatcatcher - coastal sage growth.
Image by:  1) Chad_King  2) Billtacular  3) Peterson_Moose  4) Tony_Morris


Gnatcatcher,_Creamy-bellied  Polioptila lactea  Found: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay
The Creamy-bellied Gnatcatcher has gray upperparts; male has black crown; blackupper- tail with white edges; white under-tail; whitish face; creamy underparts.
Image by: 1) Caco_Schwertner  2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Claudio_Dias_Timm


Gnatcatcher,_Cuban Polioptila lembeyei  Found: Cuba
The Cuban Gnatcatcher has blue-gray upperparts, white underparts, white eye-ring, black cresent on side of head.
Image by: 1) Dominic Sherony  2) Charles_Sharp  3) Ekaterina_Chernetsova  4) Dave_Curtis


Gnatcatcher,_Guianan  Polioptila guianensis  Found: Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
The Guianan Gnatcatcher has mainly gray plumage; lighter underparts; black tail with white edges.
Image by: 1) Nick_Athanas  - Brazil  2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Joe_Tobias in Brazil


Gnatcatcher,_Iquitos  Polioptila clementsi  Found: Peru
There may be only 30 of these birds alive.
Image by: 1) Winder_West


Gnatcatcher,_Masked  Polioptila dumicola  Found: South America
The Masked Gnatcatcher has blue-gray upperparts, light underparts, black mask, black top of tail, white bottom of tail.
Image by: 1) Hector_Bottai - Argentina   2, 3, 4) Cláudio Timm - Brazil  5) Cristiano Crolle - Argentina  6) Gustavo_Duran - Argentina
1, 2) Female  3 - 6) Males



Gnatcatcher,_Slate-throated  Polioptila schistaceigula  Found: Colombia, Ecuador, Panama
The Slate-throated Gnatcatcher has mainly slate-gray plumage; white belly; white split eye-ring. Sexes similar.
Image by: 1) Nick_Athanas


Gnatcatcher,_Tropical  Polioptila plumbea  Found: central and northern South America
The Tropical Gnatcatcher has gray upperparts; whitish underpaerts; black upper-tail with white edges; whitish under-tail. Male has black cap.
Image by:  1, 3) Nick_Athanas   2) Richard_Gibbons  4) Barloventomagico


Gnatcatcher_White-lored  Polioptila albiloris  Found: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua
The male White-lored Gnatcatcher has black cap, tail( white edged); rest upperparts gray; off-white underparts. Female lacks black cap; has white lores.
Image by: 1,   3) Jerry_Oldenettel  2) Nick_Athanas   4) Brendan_Ryan
1) Female 2, 3, 4) Male



Genus Ramphocaenus - 1 species

Gnatwren,_Long-billed  Ramphocaenus melanurus  Found: from Mexico south to Brazil and Peru
The Long-billed Gnatwren has brown upperparts; mostly black tail; long bill. Underparts vary with subspecies from dull pale to reddish-brown on the flanks and even the face.
Image by: 1) Rick_elis_simpson  2) Nick_Athanas - Brazil 3) Francesco_Veronesi - Panama






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