NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
California Gnatcatcher
Polioptila californica Brewster, 1881
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
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.
Wikipedia contributors, California gnatcatcher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:53:25.942742+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Polioptila californica Brewster, 1881
- Name authority
- Brewster, 1881
- Common name
- California Gnatcatcher
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Polioptilidae
- Genus
- Polioptila
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPolioptilidae S. F. Baird, 1858
- genusPolioptila P. L. Sclater, 1855
- speciesPolioptila californica Brewster, 1881
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Polioptila. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea (Linnaeus, 1766) | PolioptilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Guianan GnatcatcherPolioptila guianensis Todd, 1920 | PolioptilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Creamy-bellied GnatcatcherPolioptila lactea Sharpe, 1885 | PolioptilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-capped GnatcatcherPolioptila nigriceps S. F. Baird, 1864 | PolioptilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tropical GnatcatcherPolioptila plumbea (Gmelin, 1788) | PolioptilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Slate-throated GnatcatcherPolioptila schistaceigula Hartert, 1898 | PolioptilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Masked GnatcatcherPolioptila dumicola (Vieillot, 1817) | PolioptilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Polioptila clementsi B. M. Whitney & J. A. Alonso, 2005 | PolioptilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Polioptila facilis Zimmer, 1942 | PolioptilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cuban GnatcatcherPolioptila lembeyei (Gundlach, 1858) | PolioptilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-tailed GnatcatcherPolioptila melanura Lawrence, 1857 | PolioptilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Polioptila paraensis Todd, 1937 | PolioptilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Polioptila melanura californica Brewster, 1881 Brewster, 1881 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554389 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4KY6C. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.