Black-capped Gnatcatcher Life History

Habitat

In the northern part of their range, Black-capped Gnatcatchers inhabit mesquite thickets in woodlands along creeks and rivers. Southern populations reside in thorn scrub and dry forest.

Food

Black-capped Gnatcatchers typically pluck food items including insects from foliage, and on occasion they make short flights to catch flushed prey.

Nesting

Nest Placement

Placed about 2 meters (7 feet) off the ground in a tree or bush, where it is supported by small branches and twigs.

Nest Description

A deep cup built with small twigs and plant material and held together with spiderwebs. The inside is lined with plant down and fibers.

Nesting Facts

Behavior

Black-capped Gnatcatchers often occur low in thick vegetation, where they can be difficult to see. Their nasal calls are often the best way to locate—and identify—them.

Conservation

Partners in Flight estimates Black-capped Gnatcatcher’s global population size at 200,000 breeding individuals and rates the species a 15 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating a Yellow Watch List species of high conservation concern.

Credits

Atwood, J. L. and S. B. Lerman (2020). Black-capped Gnatcatcher (Polioptila nigriceps), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bkcgna.01

Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb (1995). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA.

Partners in Flight (2023). Avian Conservation Assessment Database, version 2023.

Phillips, A. R., S. Speich and W. Harrison. (1973). Black-capped Gnatcatcher, a new breeding bird for the United States; with a key to the North American species of Polioptila. Auk 90:257-262.

Pieplow, N. (2019). Peterson field guide to bird sounds of western North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, MA, USA.

Sibley, D. A. (2014). The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, USA.

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