Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Blue Gnatcatcher ( Polioptila caerulea)

The Blue Gnatcatcher ( Polioptila caerulea) is a North American songbird of the family Gnatcatcher.

Features

The plumage of the 12 cm long blue mosquito catcher is colored blue-gray on the upper side and lower side white. He has a long, slender beak, white circles and a long black tail with white outer webs. The male is paler than the female and has in summer a black eye over the plain.

Occurrence

The bird lives in many parts of North America from southern Canada to Mexico and Cuba; in the east it inhabits deciduous forests, in the west juniper -rich regions. The northern populations drag to overwinter in the southern United States and Central America.

Behavior

The Blue Gnatcatcher is an active and noisy bird. He studied between foliage for insects and their eggs as well as spiders. This he pecks of leaves or branches, it bobs up and down constantly with the tail.

Reproduction

From April to early June is building the blue Gnatcatcher on a horizontal branch of a small, cup -shaped nest of grass, lichens and cobwebs. Males and females incubate alternately four to five eggs for two weeks. The nestling period is twelve days. Sometimes the bird breeds twice in one season. The birds are frequently pushed by the Brown -headed Cowbird eggs.