Yucatan Gnatcatcher
Polioptila albiventris
Tiny gray and white bird with cocked tail. Local in dry tropical scrub of northern Yucatan Peninsula. Male has a black cap, solid in breeding season, but with narrow white eyebrow in non-breeding season. Female has gray cap with narrow white eyebrow year-round. Told from Blue-gray Gnatcatcher by face pattern: Blue-gray has a white eyering, not a white brow.
Identification
The Yucatan gnatcatcher is 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) long. Six males weighed 5.4 to 6.2 g (0.19 to 0.22 oz) and three females 5.0 to 5.7 g (0.18 to 0.20 oz). The female's upperparts are plumbeous gray from the crown to the rump. Its underparts are white with sometimes a pale grayish wash on the flanks. The tail's central feathers are black and each pair out from them are progressively more white until the all white outermost pair. It has a narrow white supercilium. The male's basic (non-breeding) plumage is essentially the same. Its alternate (breeding) plumage is also similar with the addition of a black cap that extends to the middle of its eye.
Taxonomy
The Yucatan gnatcatcher is monotypic. <p>"The continually changing species to which albiventris has been allied gives testament to the general confusion that has afflicted the classification of most Central American Polioptila taxa." It was originally described as a full species. It was later variously considered a subspecies of tropical gnatcatcher (P. plumbea), black-capped gnatcatcher (P. nigriceps), and "white-browed" gnatcatcher (P. plumbea bilieata) during its time as a separate species. It was most recently considered a subspecies of the white-lored gnatcatcher (P. albiloris) until a 2018 molecular study showed significant differences from all other gnatcatchers.
- Scientific name
- Polioptila albiventris
- Authority
- Lawrence, 1885
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Polioptilidae
- Genus
- Polioptila
Range and habitat
The Yucatan gnatcatcher is found only on the northern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Its primary habitat is arid coastal scrub, and it also occurs in low deciduous woodlands and coastal mangroves. Most observations are within 50 km (31 mi) of the ocean where the maximum elevation appears to be approximately 200 m (660 ft).
Behavior
No information on the Yucatan gnatcatcher's diet or feeding technique has been published, but in common with others of its genus, "its diet is presumed to consist largely of small invertebrates gleaned from foliage or captured with short sallies."<p>Though nothing has been published about the Yucatan gnatcatcher's breeding phenology, some information has been gleaned from publicly posted photographs. The nest is a small cup of plant fibers, built by both sexes, and placed in a small tree or shrub. Active nests were found in May and June and fledglings observed in June and July.<p>The Yucatan gnatcatcher has two songs, a low-pitched nasal one and a higher-pitched clearer one. Both are in this recording: [1].
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Ribbon-tailed Astrapia
Astrapia mayeri
A long-tailed bird of upper montane forest. The male has an iridescent green head and bib with a black chest band bordered with a thin gold stripe. Note the outlandishly long, white tail streamers. Female is blackish with barring on the belly and some iridescence on the head. Mainly eats fruit. Similar to Stephanie’s Astrapia, but Ribbon-tailed usually occurs at higher elevations. The female Ribbon-tailed has iridescence on the head and the male’s tail is white rather than black. Voice, excited, pulsing rasps.
Black-backed Tody-Flycatcher
Poecilotriccus pulchellus
Tiny, boldly-colored flycatcher. Compact and short-tailed; yellow below, black above, with a white throat and mustache, and small red shoulder patch. Found in secondary forest, especially with tall bamboo, in a limited range along the foothills of the Andes in southern Peru. Its chirping musical song is often duetted.
Blue-winged Kookaburra
Dacelo leachii
Very large kingfisher with a lot of blue in the wings and tail. Note pale eye and pale, finely streaked head. Occurs across northern Australia in a variety of woodland habitats including parks and gardens. Often perches on powerlines. Its call is quite different to the Laughing Kookaburra, typically a loud rolling squawk and various loud yapping sounds.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.