Polioptila californica
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica) is a small, 10.8-centimetre-long (4.3 in) 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 male California gnatcatcher is dusky gray overall, distinguished only by its black crown and thin black beak. It has a long, thin black tail with narrow white tips and edges on the underside of the tail feathers. However, the male loses its plumage colors by winter and obtains a plumage color similar to the females. The female is similar to the male, but with a blue-gray instead of a black crown.
In its range from coastal Southern California south through Baja California and Baja California Sur, this inconspicuous non-migratory resident is most often seen flitting hastily into undergrowth, or heard giving its call, which sounds like a kitten's meow, a rising and falling zeeeeer, zeeeeer.
The California gnatcatcher's diet consists of small insects and spiders. In the main part of its range on the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a California Gnatcatcher sighting in Cabo Pulmo National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 67th most-seen of the 100 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a California Gnatcatcher in Cabo Pulmo National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–June, October and December–January, the lowest months. That is one of Cabo Pulmo National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 120 mm in September. July and August have too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most California Gnatcatcher sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate California Gnatcatcher sightings, Cabo Pulmo National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Bahía de Loreto National Park (Mexico, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the California Gnatcatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Cabo Pulmo National Park (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
