Gnatcatcher among smallest birds

The blue-gray gnatcatcher is one of North America's smallest birds. An adult will weigh less than one-third of an ounce and is about 4 1/2 inches from tip of beak to tip of tail. The ruby-throated hummingbird is not much smaller.

The signature song of the blue-gray gnatcatcher is a soft squeaky whistle easily missed among the myriad of other sounds of the forest. But this bird also makes other bird calls and warbles that mimic other birds. It is possible that you may hear this little bird and think you are hearing another kind of bird.

Blue-gray gnatcatchers are migratory birds. They spend winter in Central America, the islands of the Gulf of Mexico and the United States' Deep South.

Both male and female work to build a little nest on top of a horizontal limb high in a tree. The nest looks similar to a hummingbird's nest. Nest materials include animal hairs, small feathers, small pieces of dead grass, lichen and two interesting materials to tie the nest together -- caterpillar silk and spider webs.

Through the Woods is a weekly nature photo column by Aaron Horrell. Find this column at semissourian.com to order a reprint of the photo. Find more work by him at the Painted Wren Gallery.