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 Black-tailed
GnatcatcherIdentification of gnatcatchers can be difficult, particularly in the Southwest, where there are four species: the Black-tailed, Blue-gray, California and Black-capped. The amount of white in the tail, the range and small differences in the voice offer the best means of separating them. The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher is a tiny bird similar to Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. It is gray above and whitish below. It has a long, black tail with narrow white edges and white tips on the outermost feathers. The male has a black crown during the summer that extends to its eyes. The winter male, female and juveniles are duller. The common call of the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher is a harsh 2- or 3-note wren-like scold: chee chee chee. The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher gleans insects and some spiders from branches and twigs of shrubs and also eats small amounts of seeds. It places its small, deep cup, invariably low (2-4 feet above ground) in buckthorn, laurel, sumac, sagebrush, cactus or other desert plant. The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher is a year-round resident in southeastern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, southward into Mexico. It prefers deserts, arid country and dry washes in the low desert. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher Range Map Visit Shaw
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