California Gnatcatcher

A small songbird waiting for the evening hatch of small insects and flies to arrive.

comments (3)

Thibaud Aronson

Lion

Hi Stephen, that's not a gnatcatcher, it's a black phoebe (https://www.jungledragon.com/image/26754/phoebe.html).
Gnatcatchers are mostly blue-grey, and P. californica has a very contrasting black cap (provided it's a male). Posted 9 years ago
1. Stephen Philips
  
  Lion
  
  I did research this as it was hard to find the specific species. I selected the Gnatcatcher by process of elimination and honestly during my selection criteria phoebe didn't even hit the radar. Good catch! Makes me want to go back to California and look for the real deal!! Posted 9 years ago
2. 1. Thibaud Aronson
    
    Lion
    
    They're easier to pick up if you cross the border into Baja California!
    For future reference, if you're in the Western US (and all the way down to South America actually) and see a middle-sized, smallish, black and white bird near watercourses, the black phoebe will usually be a good bet. :-) Posted 9 years ago

The Black phoebe

The black phoebe is a passerine bird in the tyrant-flycatcher family. It breeds from southwest Oregon and California south through Central and South America. It occurs year-round throughout most of its range and migrates less than the other birds in its genus, though its northern populations are partially migratory.

Info 20 0

Similar species: Perching Birds

Species identified by Stephen Philips