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Home/Species/ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

(Linnaeus, 1766)

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

G5Secure Found in 147 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105237
Element CodeABPBJ08010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyPolioptilidae
GenusPolioptila
Other Common Names
blue-gray gnatcatcher (EN) Gobemoucheron gris-bleu (FR) Perlita Azulgris (ES)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Nominal subspecies weakly differentiated (Dunn and Garrett 1987).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-09
Change Date1996-12-03
Range Extent Comments
BREEDS: Oregon, central Nevada, southern Utah, southern South Dakota, central Minnesota, southern Wisconsin, southern Michigan, southern Ontario, Ohio, western New York, northern New Jersey, southeastern New York, and Connecticut, south to southern Baja California, Guatemala, Gulf coast, Florida and Bahamas. WINTERS: southern U.S. from Virginia along coast south to Central America and Cuba.
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

See Dunn and Garrett (1987) for detailed treatment of field identification of this and other North American gnatcatchers.

Habitat

Deciduous forest, open woodland, second growth, scrub, brushy areas and chaparral (Tropical to lower Temperate zones) (AOU 1983). Also in open pinyon-juniper woodland, where (in Wyoming) it is associated with rosaceous shrubs and rock outcrops (Pavlacky and Anderson 2001).

Nests especially where tracts of brush, scrub, or chaparral are intermixed with taller vegetation (e.g., forest edge, riparian corridors). Often breeds near water. Nest is built in branch or fork of tree or shrub, usually 1-25 m above ground, by both adults (Harrison 1978). NON-BREEDING: Wide range of brushy habitats in winter.

Ecology

Breeding pairs establish a territory which the male defends, occasionally assisted by the female. In California, breeding territories averaged 4.6 acres (n = 9); they ranged from 2.2 to 7.4 acres (Bureau of Land Management, no date).

Reproduction

Clutch size usually is 4-5. Incubation by both sexes in turn for 15 days. Nestlings are altricial and naked at hatching. Young are brooded and fed by both parents, leave the nest in 12-13 days.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralOld field
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN4B
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS4BYes
QuebecS3BYes
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
KentuckyS5BYes
Rhode IslandS4BYes
WyomingS3BYes
New YorkS5Yes
OhioS5Yes
NevadaS4Yes
MassachusettsS4BYes
District of ColumbiaS3B,S3NYes
FloridaSNRB,SNRNYes
PennsylvaniaS4BYes
Navajo NationS5BYes
IndianaS4BYes
South DakotaS2BYes
MinnesotaSNRBYes
New MexicoS4B,S4NYes
TexasS3BYes
VirginiaS5Yes
MaineS2Yes
New JerseyS4B,S4NYes
ConnecticutS5BYes
MissouriSNRBYes
MississippiS5BYes
KansasS5BYes
West VirginiaS5BYes
LouisianaS3N,S4BYes
UtahS5BYes
OklahomaSNRBYes
DelawareS5BYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
North CarolinaS5B,S2NYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
AlabamaS5B,S3NYes
NebraskaS5Yes
IowaS4B,S4NYes
MarylandS5BYes
ArkansasS5BYes
IllinoisS5Yes
South CarolinaS5Yes
MontanaS3BYes
ColoradoS5BYes
IdahoS5BYes
VermontS3BYes
TennesseeS5Yes
OregonS4BYes
New HampshireS4BYes
WisconsinS4BYes
MichiganS5Yes
ArizonaS5Yes
Roadless Areas (147)
Alabama (1)
AreaForestAcres
Oakey MountainTalladega National Forest6,129
Arizona (12)
AreaForestAcres
BoulderTonto National Forest40,359
Butterfly Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest42,296
Catalina St. Pk. Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest951
Cdo WsaCoronado National Forest1,955
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
East Clear CreekCoconino National Forest1,613
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
GoldfieldTonto National Forest15,257
MazatzalTonto National Forest16,942
Middle Dragoon RoadlessCoronado National Forest10,543
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
WhetstoneCoronado National Forest20,728
Arkansas (2)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainOuachita National Forest9,755
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
California (61)
AreaForestAcres
AntimonyLos Padres National Forest40,911
Arroyo SecoAngeles National Forest4,703
Bear MountainLos Padres National Forest913
Benton RangeInyo National Forest9,637
Birch CreekInyo National Forest28,816
Black ButteLos Padres National Forest5,116
Black CanyonInyo National Forest32,421
Chalk PeakLos Padres National Forest7,472
ChanchelullaShasta-Trinity National Forest3,915
Chips CreekLassen National Forest29,089
Circle MountainSan Bernardino National Forest6,375
City CreekSan Bernardino National Forest9,997
ColdwaterCleveland National Forest8,402
Cucamonga AAngeles National Forest1,249
Cucamonga BSan Bernardino National Forest11,933
Cucamonga CSan Bernardino National Forest4,106
Dennison PeakSequoia National Forest6,293
Devil GulchSierra National Forest30,490
Devil's Gate (CA)Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest9,946
Dry LakesLos Padres National Forest17,043
Eagle PeakCleveland National Forest6,481
Excelsior (CA)Inyo National Forest45,607
Glass MountainInyo National Forest52,867
GrindstoneMendocino National Forest26,031
LaddCleveland National Forest5,300
Magic MountainAngeles National Forest15,542
Malduce BuckhornLos Padres National Forest14,177
MatilijaLos Padres National Forest5,218
Mill CreekLassen National Forest7,587
Mill PeakSan Bernardino National Forest7,884
Mt. JacksonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest20,721
Mt. HoffmanModoc National Forest9,780
Mt. Shasta BShasta-Trinity National Forest2,809
No NameCleveland National Forest4,897
NordhoffLos Padres National Forest12,031
North MountainStanislaus National Forest7,856
Pine CreekCleveland National Forest503
Pleasant ViewAngeles National Forest26,395
QuatalLos Padres National Forest7,253
Raywood Flat BSan Bernardino National Forest11,373
Red MountainAngeles National Forest8,034
Salt CreekAngeles National Forest11,022
Salt GulchShasta-Trinity National Forest6,511
San Gabriel AddAngeles National Forest2,527
San SevaineSan Bernardino National Forest6,866
Santa CruzLos Padres National Forest21,182
Sawmill - BadlandsLos Padres National Forest51,362
Sespe - FrazierLos Padres National Forest106,910
Sheep MountainAngeles National Forest21,098
Soldier CanyonInyo National Forest40,589
South SierraInyo National Forest41,853
Strawberry PeakAngeles National Forest7,245
SugarloafSan Bernardino National Forest8,206
TequepisLos Padres National Forest9,080
Thomes CreekMendocino National Forest16,616
TrabucoCleveland National Forest23,341
TuleAngeles National Forest9,861
WestforkAngeles National Forest4,407
White LedgeLos Padres National Forest18,632
WildhorseCleveland National Forest1,483
WoolstaffSequoia National Forest41,445
Colorado (2)
AreaForestAcres
HermosaSan Juan NF148,103
San MiguelSan Juan NF64,263
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Missouri (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big Creek Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest9,277
Montana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mt. Gmt Area HCuster National Forest1,335
Nevada (9)
AreaForestAcres
Bald Mtn.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest41,598
Excelsior Mtns.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest69,071
Moriah - Hendrys Ck.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest2,345
Pearl PeakHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest71,405
Pine Grove SouthHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest88,945
QuinnHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest62,459
Rose - EvansHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,782
Rose - Whites CanyonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest2,568
South SchellHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest125,614
New Mexico (11)
AreaForestAcres
Bull CanyonCarson National Forest11,512
Devils CreekGila National Forest89,916
El InviernoSanta Fe National Forest29,927
LemitasSanta Fe National Forest8,129
Meadow CreekGila National Forest34,167
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
Ryan HillCibola National Forest34,201
San JoseCibola National Forest16,950
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
Virgin CanyonSanta Fe National Forest6,068
West Face Sacramento MountainsLincoln National Forest41,176
North Carolina (3)
AreaForestAcres
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Tennessee (2)
AreaForestAcres
Big Laurel Branch AdditionCherokee National Forest5,577
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Utah (25)
AreaForestAcres
0401002Ashley National Forest36,113
0401006Ashley National Forest7,645
0401007Ashley National Forest16,483
0401023Ashley National Forest8,352
0401024Ashley National Forest12,882
418014Uinta National Forest9,683
418016Uinta National Forest35,240
418024Uinta National Forest51,699
418025Uinta National Forest32,698
Box - Death HollowDixie National Forest3,175
Bull ValleyDixie National Forest10,911
Bullion - DelanoFishlake National Forest14,917
Burch CreekWasatch-Cache National Forest6,938
Capital ReefDixie National Forest763
CottonwoodDixie National Forest6,754
Hog RanchDixie National Forest17,130
Lewis PeakWasatch-Cache National Forest11,616
Lone Peak ContiguousWasatch-Cache National Forest874
Middle FrancisWasatch-Cache National Forest3,296
MogotsuDixie National Forest16,762
Moody WashDixie National Forest31,835
Mt. AireWasatch-Cache National Forest9,681
South FrancisWasatch-Cache National Forest3,374
Thousand Lake MountainFishlake National Forest27,267
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
Virginia (12)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Brush Mountain EastJefferson National Forest4,916
Gum RunGeorge Washington National Forest12,620
Hoop HoleJefferson National Forest4,652
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oliver MountainGeorge Washington National Forest13,090
Peters Mountain Addition BJefferson National Forest2,909
Shawvers Run AdditionJefferson National Forest1,927
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
Wyoming (1)
AreaForestAcres
0401036Ashley National Forest6,309
References (21)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. Balda, R. P., and G. C. Bateman. 1971. Flocking and annual cycle of the piñon jay, <i>Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus</i>. Condor 73:287-302.
  4. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  5. Bureau of Land Management. Life History Summaries.
  6. Dunn, J. L., and K. L. Garrett. 1987. The identification of North American gnatcatchers. Birding 19(1):17-29.
  7. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  8. Horn, H. S. 1968. The adaptive significance of colonial nesting in the Brewer's Blackbird. Ecology 49:682-694.
  9. Keast, A., and E.S. Morton. 1980. Migrant birds in the neotropics: ecology, distribution, and conservation. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC.
  10. Ligon, J. D. 1971. Late summer-autumnal breeding of the piñon jay in New Mexico. Condor 73:147-153.
  11. Moore, W. S., and R. A. Dolbeer. 1989. The use of banding recovery data to estimate dispersal rates and gene flow in avian species: case studies in the Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle. Condor 91:242-253.
  12. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  13. Pavlacky, D. C., Jr., and S. H. Anderson. 2001. Habitat preferences of pinyon-juniper specialists near the limit of their geographic range. Condor 103:322-331.
  14. Poole, A. F. and F. B. Gill. 1992. The birds of North America. The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA.
  15. Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 511 pp.
  16. Rappole, J. H., and D. W. Warner. 1980. Ecological aspects of migrant bird behavior in Veracruz, Mexico. Pages 353-393 in A. Keast and E.S. Morton, editors. Migrant birds in the neotropics: ecology, distribution, and conservation. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC.
  17. Tarvin, K. A., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1999. Blue Jay (<i>Cyanocitta cristata</i>). No. 469 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 32pp.
  18. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  19. Thompson, F. R., III. 1994. Temporal and spatial patterns of breeding brown-headed cowbirds in the midwestern United States. Auk 111:979-990.
  20. Williams, L. 1952b. Breeding behavior of the Brewer blackbird. Condor 54:3-47.
  21. Willson, M. F. 1966. Breeding ecology of the Yellow-headed Blackbird. Ecological Monographs 36:51-77.