California gnatcatcher

Polioptila californica

Photo by Richard Bledsoe (Bird Forum)

Common name:

California gnatcatcher (en); balança-rabo-da-California (pt); gobemoucheron de Californie (fr); perlita californiana (es); Kalifornienmückenfänger (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Polioptilidae

Range:

These birds are only found in the southernmost parts of California, in the United States, and in Baja California, Mexico.

Size:

The California gnatcatcher is 10-11 cm long and has a wingspan of 14-15 cm. They weigh 5-6 g.

Habitat:

They typically prefer open sage scrub, namely areas with California sagebrush Artemisia californica.

Diet:

Their diet consists of small insects and spiders, namely Orthoptera, Araneae, Coleoptera, Homoptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera larvae.

Breeding:

California gnatcatchers build an open nest cup, placed in a scrub less than 70 cm above the ground. The female lays 3-4 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 14 days. Both parents feed the chicks until fledging, which takes place 10-15 days after hatching. Each pair may produce 3-4 clutches per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a relatively restricted breeding range an a population of just 80.000 individuals. Although the population is suspected to be in decline due to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation, the species is not considered threatened at present.