CLIPBOARD : BREEDING BIRD: CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER (Polioptila californica)

Description: The slenderly built body is blue-gray above and grayish-brown below. Long, outer tail feathers are black; thin white lines are conspicuous on outer web of the tail. White ring around eye. Males have prominent black cap during breeding season. Length: 4 1/2 inches.

Habitat: Coastal sagebrush, dry coastal slopes. Found in Baja and Southern California only.

Diet: Earthworms, snails, various insects (including gnats) and berries.

Displays: Unknown.

Nest: Compact nest built in the fork of a small bush, materials include plant down and spider silk. Inner nest lined with hair, other fine materials.

Eggs: Pale to bluish-white, marked with brown and sometimes wreathed. Length: 0.6 inches.

Call: Distinctive rising and falling kitten-like mew note.

Notes: Candidate for endangered species list, to be included based on species undergoing range reductions and notable non-cyclical population decline. Formerly called black-tailed gnatcatcher, but now two groups are known sibling species (extremely similar in appearance, but do not reproduce together).

Breeding-bird atlas: To report bird-breeding activity in your neighborhood, or to get information on the breeding-bird atlas, call Sea and Sage Audubon Society members Sylvia Gallagher, (714) 962-8990, or Nancy Kenyon, (714) 786-3160.

Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis.

Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).