| Yucatan gnatcatcher | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Polioptilidae |
| Genus: | Polioptila |
| Species: | P. albiventris |
| Binomial name | |
| Polioptila albiventris Lawrence, 1885 | |
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The Yucatan gnatcatcher (Polioptila albiventris) is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae. It is endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. [1]
The Yucatan gnatcatcher is monotypic.
"The continually changing species to which albiventris has been allied gives testament to the general confusion that has afflicted the classification of most Central American Polioptila taxa." [2] It was originally described as a full species. [3] It was later variously considered a subspecies of tropical gnatcatcher (P. plumbea), black-capped gnatcatcher (P. nigriceps), and "white-browed" gnatcatcher (P. plumbea bilieata) during its time as a separate species. It was most recently considered a subspecies of the white-lored gnatcatcher (P. albiloris) until a 2018 molecular study showed significant differences from all other gnatcatchers. [1] [2] [4]
The Yucatan gnatcatcher is 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) long. Six males weighed 5.4 to 6.2 g (0.19 to 0.22 oz) and three females 5.0 to 5.7 g (0.18 to 0.20 oz). The female's upperparts are plumbeous gray from the crown to the rump. Its underparts are white with sometimes a pale grayish wash on the flanks. The tail's central feathers are black and each pair out from them are progressively more white until the all white outermost pair. It has a narrow white supercilium. The male's basic (non-breeding) plumage is essentially the same. Its alternate (breeding) plumage is also similar with the addition of a black cap that extends to the middle of its eye. [2]
The Yucatan gnatcatcher is found only on the northern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Its primary habitat is arid coastal scrub, and it also occurs in low deciduous woodlands and coastal mangroves. Most observations are within 50 km (31 mi) of the ocean where the maximum elevation appears to be approximately 200 m (660 ft). [2]
No information on the Yucatan gnatcatcher's diet or feeding technique has been published, but in common with others of its genus, "its diet is presumed to consist largely of small invertebrates gleaned from foliage or captured with short sallies." [2]
Though nothing has been published about the Yucatan gnatcatcher's breeding phenology, some information has been gleaned from publicly posted photographs. The nest is a small cup of plant fibers, built by both sexes, and placed in a small tree or shrub. Active nests were found in May and June and fledglings observed in June and July. [2]
The Yucatan gnatcatcher has two songs, a low-pitched nasal one and a higher-pitched clearer one. Both are in this recording: .
The IUCN has not assessed the Yucatan gnatcatcher. Though it is fairly abundant within its range, the range is small, and "areas currently occupied by the Yucatan Gnatcatcher are under development pressures associated with construction of beach resorts [and] vacation homes". [2]
The 21 species of small passerine birds in the gnatcatcher family occur in North and South America. Most species of this mainly tropical and subtropical group are resident, but the blue-grey gnatcatcher of the United States and southern Canada migrates south in winter. They are close relatives of the wrens.
The blue-gray gnatcatcher or blue-grey gnatcatcher is a very small songbird native to North America.
The trilling gnatwren, formerly long-billed gnatwren, is a very small bird in the gnatcatcher family. It found from southeast Mexico south to Ecuador and Amazonia.
The Iquitos gnatcatcher is a bird in the family Polioptilidae. It was first described in 2005. It is known only from the Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve, west of Iquitos, Peru.
The California gnatcatcher is a small 10.8 cm (4.3 in) long insectivorous bird which frequents dense coastal sage scrub growth. This species was recently split from the similar black-tailed gnatcatcher of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. This bird is often solitary, but joins with other birds in winter flocks.
The tropical gnatcatcher is a small active insectivorous songbird, which is a resident species throughout a large part of the Neotropics. There are large geographical variations in its voice and plumage, resulting in some populations sometimes being considered separate species, notably the bilineata group as the white-browed gnatcatcher, and the taxon maior as the Marañón gnatcatcher.
The black-capped gnatcatcher is a small songbird in the family Polioptilidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States.
The collared gnatwren is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae, the gnatcatchers. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The white-lored gnatcatcher is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Polioptila is a genus of small insectivorous birds in the family Polioptilidae. They are found in North and South America.
The masked gnatcatcher is a small songbird in the family Polioptilidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The Guianan gnatcatcher is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The creamy-bellied gnatcatcher is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
The Cuban gnatcatcher is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae, the gnatcatchers. It is endemic to Cuba.
The slate-throated gnatcatcher is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.
The white-browed gnatcatcher is a species of bird in the gnatcatcher family Polioptilidae. It is native to central and South America.
The Rio Negro gnatcatcher is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae. It is endemic to Brazil.
The Para gnatcatcher or Klages's gnatcatcher, is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae. It is endemic to Brazil.
The Inambari gnatcatcher is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae. It is endemic to Brazil.
The chattering gnatwren is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae, the gnatcatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru.