Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Polioptila melanura
Tiny gray insectivore of scrubby areas in the southwest U.S. and northern Mexico. Breeding males show a black cap with a thin white eyering; nonbreeding males have a thin black line over the eye. Females lack any black on the head. Note tail pattern from below: mostly black with bold white spots. Prefers dry, scrubby habitats such as desert washes, where pairs flit around in the low bushes. Listen for harsh scolding calls. Compare with Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, but note Black-tailed often looks drabber brownish-gray, and has much more black on the underside of the tail.
识别特征
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. The best way to tell the two apart is the tail; that of the blue-grey is mostly white when viewed from below, and the black-tailed is predominantly black underneath. Like other gnatcatchers, it may give harsh, scolding calls while foraging for small insects and spiders in desert shrubs.
分类信息
The black-tailed gnatcatcher was described by American ornithologist George Newbold Lawrence in 1857. Meaning 'black-tailed', its specific name is derived from the Ancient Greek melano- 'black' and oura 'tail'.
- 学名
- Polioptila melanura
- 命名信息
- Lawrence, 1857
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Polioptilidae
- 属
- Polioptila
分布与栖息地
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
Black-tailed gnatcatchers live in pairs all year, defending their territory and foraging in trees and low shrubs for a wide variety of small insects and some spiders. Unlike the blue-grey gnatcatcher, the black-tailed variety rarely catches insects in midair.<p>The nest is an open-cup, built by both sexes, and is typically found in low shrubs less than five feet off the ground. If available at the nesting site, desert mistletoe, Phoradendron californicum, is often used as the substrate for the nest, which provides nice concealment. It is constructed of a variety of materials including weeds, grass, strips of bark, spider webs and plant fibers. It is lined with finer, softer matter. Three to five bluish-white eggs with red-brown dots are incubated by both parents and take 14 days to hatch. The young are fed by both parents, and leave the nest 10 to 15 days after hatching. Even though cowbirds often lay eggs in this species' nests, and the pair end up raising cowbird young, the black-tailed gnatcatcher population seems to be holding up well.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Little Bustard
Tetrax tetrax
A small brownish bustard with long legs and neck. May crouch if disturbed but when flushed, explodes noisily into a grouselike flight with whirring wings. Striking white wings with black tips are prominent in flight. Breeding-plumaged males are distinctive with black neck and double V-shaped white collar. Usually fairly quiet and unobtrusive. Found in open plains with shrubs and sufficient ground cover to hide in.
Rusty-backed Thrush
Geokichla erythronota
A spectacular chestnut-backed thrush with striking white facial patches, black-and-white wings, and bold pied markings below. Juvenile shows buff streaks on crown and back and buff throat. Terrestrial, feeding on the forest floor singly or in pairs within the lowlands and low hills. Unmistakable within its limited range on islands of Sulawesi and Kabaena. Mournful song is a phrase of several high-pitched whistled notes, “deee-der-doo” or “deee-der.” Calls include “chak” notes and a high-pitched “peep” call.
Pale-shouldered Cicadabird
Edolisoma dohertyi
A thrush-sized gray songbird. Male is slaty gray with a black face and throat and dark wings with a large pale panel. Female shows distinctive, extensively barred white underparts. Found within canopy of forest and edge in lowlands and foothills, in pairs or groups, sometimes within mixed-species flocks. Male is smaller and slimmer-billed than Black-faced and Wallacean Cuckooshrikes, lacks a pale belly, and shows a pronounced pale wing panel. Gives a nasal “yup,” short “whut” notes, and a drawn-out, rasping “grrrrrrt” song.
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