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

Description 4 1/2 -5" (11-13 cm). A tiny bird similar to Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Gray above, whitish below. Male has black crown during summer that extends to eyes. Long black tail, with narrow white edges and white tips on outermost feathers. Winter male, female, and juveniles duller.

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 southeastern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, southward into Mexico.

Voice   The common call is a harsh 2- or 3-note wren-like scold: chee chee chee.

Discussion Identification of gnatcatchers can be difficult, particularly in the Southwest, where there are four species: the Blue-gray, Black-tailed, California, and Black-capped. The amount of white in the tail, the range, and small differences in the voice offer the best means of separating them. The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher is one of about 200 species of songbirds that fall vicitim to nest parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird.