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A Beginners Guide to North American Gnatcatchers and Kinglets


Gnatcatchers and Kinglets are part of a large family of
Warblers and Flycatchers.

They are small and thin billed birds.

As their name implies, insects are the main source of food.

They lay 4 to 8 spotted or speckled eggs.


Most species of gnatcatchers live in the tropics, but one, the
blue-gray gnatcatcher, is widely distributed in wooded areas from
southern Mexico to southernmost Canada.

It is a slender, long-tailed bird with a length of 5 in.
The back of the adult male is a dull blue-gray; the head is somewhat
brighter, with a black line crossing the forehead and running
along the sides of the crown.

The wings are gray-black bordered with white, the tail black bordered
with white, and the underside ash white. The adult female is similar
in coloring except for a brownish-gray back and the absence of the
black line on the head.


The nest is bound together with spider webs and covered with lichens.
The four or five eggs are greenish white with reddish brown spots.

Picture Blue Gray Gnatcatcher




All Kinglets have grayish-green or yellowish-green backs and paler under parts, with brightly colored patches on the tops of their heads.

The birds measure about 4 in in length. They move about in a quick,
erratic fashion while flicking their wings almost continuously.



Picture Ruby Crowned Kinglet



Gnatcatchers and Kinglets belong to the order Passeriformes.

Types of Gnatcatchers and Kinglets include:

Black Capped Gnatcatcher
Black Tailed Gnatcatcher
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher
Golden Crowned Kinglet
Ruby Crowned Kinglet


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