Family: Sylviidae, Old World Warblers and Gnatcatchers view all from this family

Description 4 1/2 -5" (11-13 cm). A tiny bird. Gray above, paler below. Male has black crown during summer that extends below eyes. Long black tail, with little white on outermost feathers. Winter male, female, and juveniles duller. Similar to Black-tailed Gnatcatcher but underparts grayer, and much less white in tail. Best identified by voice and range.

Endangered Status The Coastal California Gnatcatcher, the subspecies of the California Gnatcatcher that occurs in the United States, is on the U.S. Endangered Species List. It is classified as threatened in California. The reduction in numbers can be attributed to development pressures on its coastal scrub habitat in southern California down into Baja California. Some of its historical habitats have been outright destroyed (literally paved over) and others have been altered and fragmented. Fires started by military activities, livestock grazing, and pollution have destroyed vegetation that the gnatcatchers depend upon. Predators such as raccoons, foxes, crows, snakes, and other species eat the gnatcatchers' eggs and young, which can have a devastating effect on a small population.

Habitat Deserts and arid country; dry washes in the low desert.

Nesting 3 or 4 pale blue, spotted eggs in a small, smooth cup nest placed in mesquite or other desert bush or a low tree.

Range Resident in extreme southwestern California.

Voice   Similar to calls of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (not the Black-tailed), but more prolonged and cat-like.

Discussion This newly recognized species is similar to the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, but the ranges of the two do not overlap. The Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica ) is the subspecies that lives in the United States; the other two subspecies live in Baja California, Mexico.