Bird name:

Black-capped Gnatcatcher

Polioptila nigricepsOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Old World Warblers and Gnatcatchers (Sylviidae)

Codes: Common Name: BCGN Scientific Name: POLNIG ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179863

Black-capped Gnatcatcher Female - The female Black-capped Gnatcatcher is similar to the male but has pale gray upperparts and lacks the black cap.

Black-capped Gnatcatcher - The adult Black-capped Gnatcatcher has blue-gray upperparts, black tail, gray-white underparts and a black cap.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Black-capped Gnatcatcher

Black-capped Gnatcatcher: Very small. Black cap, blue-gray upperparts, black tail, gray white underparts. Long slender black beak. The outer tail feathers mostly white gives underside of tail a white appearance when tail closed. Weak fluttering direct flight with shallow wing beats.

● Song: "mee-ur"

● Foraging & Feeding: Black-capped Gnatcatcher: Gleans insects from foliage and branches. Occasionally will hover. Diet sometimes includes spiders and seeds.

● Breeding & nesting: Black-capped Gnatcatcher: Male and female build cup nest 6 to 13 feet above the ground, in medium sized shrub or small tree, often mesquite, juniper, or acacia. Female lays two to six pale blue eggs flecked with red brown. Both sexes incubate and tend young.

● Similar species: Black-capped Gnatcatcher: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is distinctly blue toned, with obvious white eye ring and pale bill. Breeding male lacks black cap. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher has much more black on underside of tail, almost completely black with white spots near edge, shorter bill, and more distinct eye ring. California Gnatcatcher is darker and more dusky overall with more brown tones throughout, tail almost completely black on underside with very little white edging. All species have different vocalizations.

Flight Pattern

Short flights usually within low vegetation. Tail often waving from side to side and/or cocked in the air.

● Range & Habitat: Black-capped Gnatcatcher: Resident of western Mexico, rare breeder in southeastern Arizona, recently documented breeding in extreme southwestern New Mexico.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationRare to uncommon

^MigrationMost do not migrate

^Weight0.2 Ounces

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

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.

Field Guide to Birds of North America