Black-capped Gnatcatcher
Encyclopedia
The Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Polioptila nigriceps, is a very small songbird
.
Adults are blue-grey on the upperparts with white underparts, with a long slender bill and a long black tail with white outer tailbands on the uppertail. The undertail is extensively white, showing black only along a thin vertical center line and at the very tip. Males show a prominent black cap. This species is very similar to the California Gnatcatcher
and the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
.
Their breeding habitat occurs in riparian woodlands of western and northwestern Mexico
. It has occasionally nested just across the border in southernmost Arizona
, (the Madrean sky islands
area), of the United States
where it is infrequently found in the summer. They build a small cup nest most often in a horizontal limb of a small tree or shrub. Both parents construct the nest and feed the young. The female normally lays 4 eggs.
These birds are primarily non-migratory, remaining in breeding territories year round.
They forage actively in trees or shrubs, mainly eating insects. They may hover over foliage-(gleaning
), or fly to catch insects in flight-(hawking
).
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
.
Adults are blue-grey on the upperparts with white underparts, with a long slender bill and a long black tail with white outer tailbands on the uppertail. The undertail is extensively white, showing black only along a thin vertical center line and at the very tip. Males show a prominent black cap. This species is very similar to the California Gnatcatcher
California Gnatcatcher
The California Gnatcatcher, Polioptila californica, is a small 10.8 cm long insectivorous bird which frequents dense coastal sage scrub growth...
and the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher is a small, insectivorous bird which ranges throughout the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is nonmigratory and found in arid desert areas year-round.-Taxonomy:The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher was described by...
.
Their breeding habitat occurs in riparian woodlands of western and northwestern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It has occasionally nested just across the border in southernmost Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, (the Madrean sky islands
Madrean sky islands
The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine-oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are surrounded at lower elevations by the Sonoran and...
area), of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where it is infrequently found in the summer. They build a small cup nest most often in a horizontal limb of a small tree or shrub. Both parents construct the nest and feed the young. The female normally lays 4 eggs.
These birds are primarily non-migratory, remaining in breeding territories year round.
They forage actively in trees or shrubs, mainly eating insects. They may hover over foliage-(gleaning
Gleaning (birds)
Gleaning is a term for a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals. This behavior is...
), or fly to catch insects in flight-(hawking
Hawking (birds)
Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch...
).