California Gnatcatcher

Overview

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. Legs and feet are black.

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.

INTERESTING FACTS

A high rate of nest predation is compensated by up to ten re-nesting attempts over the long breeding season.
The entire world's population of the California Gnatcatcher occurs in Baja California and coastal southern California year-round where it depends on a variety of arid scrub habitats.
The limited range of the California Gnatcatcher, and its specific habitat requirements, make it vulnerable and a high conservation priority. It was Federally listed as a Threatened species in 1993.

The California Gnatcatcher is native to the United States and Mexico. This bird species has a range that is fairly small, only about 130,000 square kilometers. The population of this bird is thought to be around 77,000 individual birds. At the current time, there is no immediate concern regarding possible population decline of the California Gnatcatcher. It is rated as Least Concern, which is a downgraded rating from a prior rating of Lower Risk in 2000.