Black-Tailed Gnatcatcher

The Black-Tailed Gnatcatcher (Polioptila melanura) is a small, insectivorous bird that ranges throughout the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is nonmigratory and found in arid desert areas year-round.

The black-tailed gnatcatcher has a length of 4.5 to 5 inches, most of which is taken up by a long tail that is black with white outer feathers. Although it resembles the blue-grey gnatcatcher in appearance and has white underparts, the amount of black in the tail feathers distinguishes the two species. The male wears a black cap that covers his eyes in the summer. Without the black cap, females and winter males are difficult to identify from the blue-grey gnatcatcher. The tail of the blue-grey is generally white when viewed from below, whereas that of the black-tailed is primarily black. This makes it easy to distinguish between the two.