Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Appearance:

Length: 3.9-4.3 in
Weight: 0.2-0.3 oz
Wingspan: 6.3 in

Standing in statue between a Ruby-throated hummingbird and a House Wren, Blue-grey Gnatcatchers are tiny, slim songbirds with a long tail and a thin, straigh bill. As thier name suggest their primary colors are blue and gray. The underside of the tail is mostly white while the top of the tail is mostly black. The face is highlighted by a thin, white eyering. In summer the male Blue-gray Gnatcatcher develops a striking black "V" on thier foreheads extending above thier eyes.

Habitat:

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is energetic and rarely slows down, gluttering after tiny insects among trees and shrubs. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers will often steal food from spiderwebs while also using stands of the webbing to build their nest. Despite thier name gnats actually make up a small portion of their diet.

Behavior:

In the Gluf Coast Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are fairly common year round. In the rest of the state they are common in spring, summer, and fall. Look for them in open woods, oaks, pines, thickets. I've found they can most easily be spotting darting in and out of shrubbery in pursuit of a prey.