Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

A small, active songbird of open woodland and scrub, constantly flicking its long tail from side to side while gleaning insects from foliage in the mid and upper canopy. Its thin, wheezy call and near-constant motion are usually the first clues to its presence, since the pale grey plumage blends easily into dappled light. Spring, when males sing persistently to establish territory in deciduous and mixed woodland edges, is the easiest time to track one down.