Gnatcatchers | Polioptilidae

Muggenvangers | Perlitas

Gnatcatchers are small, slender songbirds with a thin bill and a long tail that is constantly cocked and flicked from side to side, showing the white outer tail feathers. Three species occur in the region. The Blue-grey Gnatcatcher breeds in the Bahamas and also occurs in winter on Cuba, the Cayman Islands and other northern islands; it is blue-grey above and dull white below, with a white eye-ring. The Cuban Gnatcatcher is endemic to Cuba and lives mainly in dry coastal forest and scrub; it can be recognised by a black crescent behind the ear. On Trinidad lives the Trilling Gnatwren, a brown bird with a very long, straight bill and a short, cocked tail, which forages in dense undergrowth and gives a dry trill. All species actively search the foliage for small insects and spiders. The nest is a small, deep cup of plant fibres, spider silk and lichens. The family is related to the wrens.