Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Catching Insects)

Description:

A very small woodland bird with a long tail, usually seen flitting about in the treetops, giving a short whining callnote. Often it darts out in a short, quick flight to snap up a tiny insect in mid-air - as in the second of these three photos.

Habitat:

Woodland trail.

Notes:

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are skilled songsters and mimics, with a very broad variety of songs that include musical notes, whistles, chips, and mew notes of variable length, sometimes also incorporating bits of songs of other species. A broad variety of vocalizations may also be used as alarm calls and other calls, although the most frequently heard call is a thin, nasal whistling.