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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Perching Birds (Order Passeriformes)

-Gnatcatchers (Family Polioptilidae)

-Gnatcatchers (Genus Polioptila)

-Blue-grey Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)


The blue-gray gnatcatcher is a small American songbird that is found in the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America. Their diet consists of small insects, spiders, and other invertebrates. They inhabit low shrubs, grasslands, and woodlands, and build cup-shaped nests in the crooks of tree branches. This active little bird has a habit of constantly flicking its tail and is known for its distinctive call. It is a blue-gray color with a white underside and a black tail with white edges.

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

Diet

  • Primarily tiny insects and other arthropods, including gnats, flies, aphids, beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, spiders, and insect eggs.

  • Occasionally feeds on small berries and waxy fruits during autumn and winter.

  • Constantly forages through trees and shrubs, gleaning prey from leaves and twigs and sometimes catching insects in short aerial sallies.

Range

  • Breeds across much of the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico.

  • Winters from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and locally into northern South America.

  • In the Zihuatanejo region, it is a common winter visitor, although some birds may remain year-round.

  • Inhabits deciduous woodlands, tropical dry forests, woodland edges, riparian forests, scrublands, parks, gardens, and mangroves.

Male / Female

  • Male: Blue-grey upperparts, whitish underparts, long black-and-white tail, thin black bill, and a distinctive black forehead during the breeding season. Outside the breeding season, the black forehead is absent.

  • Female: Similar blue-grey upperparts and white underparts but lacks the black forehead year-round and is slightly duller overall.

  • Juveniles: Resemble adult females.

  • The sexes are best distinguished during the breeding season, when males display the prominent black forehead.

Size

  • Length: 10–12 cm (3.9–4.7 in)

  • Wingspan: 16–18 cm (6.3–7.1 in)

  • Weight: 5–7 g

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