Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

First photographed: July 16, 2026
First location: Colorado, United States
Conservation status: Least Concern

Blue-gray gnatcatcher perched in a wax currant bush in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

An evolving study

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher portfolio

This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.

Blue-gray gnatcatcher perched with food on a dead tree in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Natural history

Species at a glance

Polioptila caerulea

Overview

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is a tiny, active songbird that flicks its long tail while searching leaves and branch tips. It often constructs a neat lichen-covered nest that blends into a horizontal limb.

Identification

Blue-gray above and white below with a thin bill, white eye ring, and very long black tail edged in white. Breeding males show a black line above the eye that gives an intent expression.

Range

Breeds across much of the United States and south through Mexico and the Caribbean. Northern birds migrate to the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Habitat

Open deciduous woodland, forest edges, riparian groves, oak scrub, parks, and shrubby habitats.

Diet

Tiny insects, spiders, and other arthropods gleaned from foliage or caught in short flights.

Photography by Brittany Templin

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