Scientific Name: Polioptila melanura

Residency: Year-round throughout southern, western and central Arizona.

Diet: Eats a variety of small insects and some spiders in trees and shrubs. Occasionally eats seeds.

Predators: Arizona Jays, snakes, birds, and mammals.

Nesting: The nest is usually constructed in a low shrub less than five feet above the ground. Both of the parents take part in constructing the open cup-shaped nest that is made of materials such as grass, weeds, strips of bark, plant fibers, and spider webs; the lining is made using softer materials. The eggs are bluish-white with red-brown dots; three to five eggs are laid per clutch. One-two broods per year.

Nesting Records: Coon Bluff.

Notes: Despite cowbird parasitism in their nests, the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher populations seem to be remaining steady.