How to Spot a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

By eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor

Instructions

Step 1:
Know where to find a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. In the winter months, look for the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher in the southern United States southward to Central America and Cuba. In the summer breeding season, you'll find the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher throughout most of the eastern United States and in the west from northern California and southern Wyoming southward to Mexico. This bird lives in thickets, scrublands and deciduous forests. It often breeds near water.
Step 2:
Take note of the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher's small size. This bird measures between 4 and 4.25 inches and weighs approximately .2 oz. It has a wingspan that measures between 5.75 and 6.5 inches.
Step 3:
Observe the appearance of a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. It has bluish-gray upperparts and white underparts. The crown is a darker blue-gray than the back or the rump of the bird. Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers also have white eye rings and small, thin, dark colored bills. The rounded wings are a dark color and the fan-shaped tail is dark with white edges.
Step 4:
Listen to the sounds of the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher on the What Bird website. (See link in Resources.) The song has a soft tone and contains various notes in a warbling manner. The distinctive call of the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher is low-pitched and resembles a nasal "spee."
Step 5:
Watch the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher's different behaviors. During flight, it exhibits shallow wing beats. The Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher is a weak flyer who looks as if it flutters during flight. This particular bird also has a distinctive behavior of flicking its tail from side to side almost constantly.

Tips & Warnings

The Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher may mimic the songs of other birds in its own song.
Female Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers are paler in color than males.

Resources

Listen to the call of a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

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