Black-tailed Gnatcatcher vs California Gnatcatcher

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

Polioptila melanura

Tiny5 gShrubland

The black-tailed gnatcatcher reaches about 4.5 to 5 inches in length, much of it taken up by a long black tail lined with white outer feathers. The body is blue-grey, with white underparts, and while it is similar to the blue-grey gnatcatcher, the two birds are differentiated by the amount of black in the tail feathers. The male has a black cap during the summer that extends to the eyes. Females and winter males, lacking the black cap, are difficult to distinguish from the blue-grey gnatcatcher.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Millie Basden · CC BY 4.0

California Gnatcatcher

Polioptila californica

Tiny6 gShrubland

The male California gnatcatcher is dusky gray overall, distinguished only by its black crown and thin black beak. It has a long, thin black tail with narrow white tips and edges on the underside of the tail feathers. However, the male loses its plumage colors by winter and obtains a plumage color similar to the females. The female is similar to the male, but with a blue-gray instead of a black crown.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren · CC BY 2.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher and California Gnatcatcher.