BOLD style in an environment of pale white, This amazing eye is unique with a black mask finish!

Güzeller
08 Eylül 2022
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A tiny bird with a black mask whereas the females have a small black ear patch on an overall pale face.

MEET THE MASKED GNATCATCHER

Photo (frame reduced) Courtesy of Wagner Machado Carlos Le/CC BY 2.0

The Masked Gnatcatcher (Polioptila dumicola) is a small, active South American songbird. However, it is the largest species in the genus Polioptila. The male has a blue-grey forehead, crown, belly and upper part. Its wings are black, and the second wing is white. Its tail is black with outer feathers. He sports a well-defined black mask that extends from the bottom of his mandible, through the eyes, to the belly button. There is also an important white breath commanding the bottom of his mask. His feet and legs are black, his eyes are brown.

The adult female looks very similar to the male though she does lack the black mask he wears. Instead, she has a black border that runs from behind the eye to the rear of the white ear-coverts.

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She so also has a white ring that surrounds her eyes.

Photo Courtesy of Dominic Sherony/CC BY-SA 2.0

This bird is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The Masked Gnatcatcher prefers to live in several types of habitats such as dry arid habitats with thorny bushes and cacti, wooded areas with savannas, and vast tropical savanna.

The Masked Gnatcatcher feeds on insects and spiders by flitting through the tree canopy. It regularly hops from branch to branch while foraging amongst the foliage.

Photo Courtesy of Under the same moon…/CC BY 2.0

The breeding season of the Masked Gnatcatcher extends from September to January. It builds a small cup-shaped nest made of cemented wood fibers covered with spider silk and lichens stuck to the surface. Three or five eggs are laid and tied to both the male and female. Both males and females will feed the young when they grow up and mature after 14-15 days.

The IUCN has assessed the masked gnatcatcher overall as being of Least Concern. The nominate and berlepschi appear not to be seriously threatened but saturata ” is considered to be at serious risk due to human settlement and agricultural conversion.”