gnatcatcher

[nat-kach-er]

noun

1. any tiny insect-eating, New World warbler of the genus Polioptila, having a long, mobile tail and a slender bill.

gnatcatcher

/ ˈnætˌkætʃə /

noun

1. any of various small American songbirds of the genus Polioptila and related genera, typically having a long tail and a pale bluish-grey plumage: family Muscicapidae (Old World flycatchers, etc)

Word History and Origins

Origin of gnatcatcher¹

First recorded in 1835–45; gnat + catcher

Example Sentences

Fish and Wildlife Service’s military conservation partner of the year for its efforts to support the recovery of several species, including the tidewater goby, coastal California gnatcatcher, the arroyo toad and southern California steelhead.

From Los Angeles Times

Other species on the rebound in the isolated dunes include native evening primrose and California gnatcatcher.

From Los Angeles Times

Their lawsuits said construction operations would harm plants, rare wildlife habitats, threatened coastal birds like the snowy plover and California gnatcatcher, and other species such as fairy shrimp and the Quino checkerspot butterfly.

From Reuters

The ESA provides blanket protections to species which are categorised as either "threatened" - such as the California gnatcatcher - or "endangered".

From BBC

The developers also faced challenges when nests of the endangered black-tailed gnatcatcher were discovered.

From Golf Digest