A subtle beauty that inhabits brush lands and forests of the southern half of the United States. When members of this species are vocal their distinctive sounds give them away. Otherwise they are stealth birds that are hard to spot under the best of conditions and when in thick brush, impossible to find. When they are nest building they can sometimes be seen collecting spider webs which they use to bind lichens together to form a small cup for a nest.
They whip their tails back and forth and splay them wide to scare bugs which are then eaten.
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher photographed at Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve, Santa Clara County, California. The dark "V" on the forehead indicates this is a male.