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Bird name:

California Gnatcatcher

Polioptila californica

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Old World Warblers and Gnatcatchers (Sylviidae)

Code 4

CAGN

Code 6

POLCAL

ITIS

554389

Breeding Location:

Coastal sagebrush chaparral



Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester



Breeding Population:

Uncommon to rare, Declining, Threatened in U.S. range



Egg Color:

Pale blue with small red brown spots



Number of Eggs:

4 - 5



Incubation Days:

14



Egg Incubator:

Both sexes



Nest Material:

Grass, bark, plant fibers, bound with spider silk



Migration:

Nonmigratory



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General

California Gnatcatcher: Medium-sized gnatcatcher with a black cap, dark blue-gray upperparts, black tail, and paler gray, buff-washed underparts. Bill is short, slender, and black. Tail is black with white edges, with undertail appearing all-black when closed. Female is paler and lacks black cap. Winter male resembles female but has dark eyebrow.

Range and Habitat

California Gnatcatcher: Local resident of southern California and Baja California. Apparent coastal sage shrub/scrub, chaparral obligate in the United States. Population declines due to habitat destruction have prompted its listing as a federally threatened species.

Breeding and Nesting

California Gnatcatcher: Four to five pale blue eggs with small red brown spots are laid in a cup nest built by both parents in low shrubby vegetation; nest comprised of grass, bark, and plant fibers bound with spider and insect silk, lined with leaves and down feathers. Both sexes incubate eggs for about 14 days.

Foraging and Feeding

California Gnatcatcher: Gleans insects from foliage and branches. Occasionally will hover. Diet sometimes includes spiders and seeds.

Vocalization

California Gnatcatcher: Song a series of "jzer" or "zew" notes. Call a kittenlike rising and falling "zeeer."

Similar Species

California Gnatcatcher: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher distinctly blue toned, with white eye ring, pale bill, lacks black cap, undertail nearly all white. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher has more white on underside of tail. Black-capped Gnatcatcher undertail almost entirely white. All species have different vocalizations and are overall lighter in color than the California Gnatcatcher.

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UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
CapX
The area on top of the head of the bird.
EyebrowX
Also called the supercilicum or superciliary it is the arch of feathers over each eye.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX